Plasmodium vivax Isolates from Cambodia and Thailand Show High Genetic Complexity and Distinct Patterns of P. vivax Multidrug Resistance Gene 1 (pvmdr1) Polymorphisms

Jessica T. Lin Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Jaymin C. Patel Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Oksana Kharabora Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Jetsumon Sattabongkot Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Sinuon Muth Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Ratawan Ubalee Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Anthony L. Schuster Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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William O. Rogers Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Chansuda Wongsrichanalai Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Jonathan J. Juliano Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand; National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Naval Medical Research Unit #2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Plasmodium vivax accounts for an increasing fraction of malaria infections in Thailand and Cambodia. We compared P. vivax genetic complexity and antimalarial resistance patterns in the two countries. Use of a heteroduplex tracking assay targeting the merozoite surface protein 1 gene revealed that vivax infections in both countries are frequently polyclonal (84%), with parasites that are highly diverse (HE = 0.86) but closely related (GST = 0.18). Following a history of different drug policies in Thailand and Cambodia, distinct patterns of antimalarial resistance have emerged: most Cambodian isolates harbor the P. vivax multidrug resistance gene 1 (pvmdr1) 976F mutation associated with chloroquine resistance (89% versus 8%, P < 0.001), whereas Thai isolates more often display increased pvmdr1 copy number (39% versus 4%, P < 0.001). Finally, genotyping of paired isolates from individuals suspected of suffering relapse supports a complex scheme of relapse whereby recurrence of multiple identical variants is sometimes accompanied by the appearance of novel variants.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Jessica T. Lin, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 130 Mason Farm Road, Suite 2115 CB 7030, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. E-mail: Jessica_lin@med.unc.edu

Financial support: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System Program and the National Institutes of Health [grant number AI089819 to J.J.J.]. J.T.L. was supported by an NIH Infectious Disease Pathogenesis Research Training Grant [grant number 5T32AI0715132] and the North Carolina Clinical and Translational Science Award [grant number UL1RR025747].

Authors' addresses: Jessica T. Lin, Oksana Kharabora, and Jonathan J. Juliano, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, E-mails: jessica_lin@med.unc.edu, kharabor@email.unc.edu, and jonthan_juliano@med.unc.edu. Jaymin C. Patel, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, E-mail: jaymin86@email.unc.edu. Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Mahidol Vivax Research Center, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, E-mail: jetsumon.pra@mahidol.ac.th. Sinuon Muth, National Malaria Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, E-mail: sinuonm@cnm.gov.kh. Ratawan Ubalee and Anthony L. Schuster, Department of Entomology, USAMC Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand, E-mails: RatawanU@afrims.org and Schuster.Anthony@afrims.org. William O. Rogers, E-mail: mrogers70@yahoo.com. Chansuda Wongsrichanalai, Bangkok, Thailand, E-mail: dr.chansuda@gmail.com.

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