Aim: To identify the genotype of merozoite surface protein 1 of Plasmodium falciparum in Yunnan Province and explore the polymorphism of MSP1 genes in geographical characteristics and genetics.
Methods: Nested polymerase chain reaction was applied to genotyping of P. falciparum isolated in Yunnan Province. Some of parasite alleles were sequenced by dye primer cycle sequencing.
Results: In 30 P. falciparum infections, 38 different alleles were found. Of them, the dominant allele was a variant of MAD20, while was K1 less and the RO33 was few. In addition, incidences of mixed allele infections were observed. Sequence analysis showed that DNA sequences of MAD20, K1 and RO33 alleles from Yunnan were highly homologous with those of international standard strains, respectively.
Conclusion: Composition and sequence characteristics of P. falciparum arasite population in the endemic area can be detected by genotyping with MSP1 as genetic marker, which would be useful for the prevention and treatment of malaria.