Abstract:

Objective  To analyze the polymorphism of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein（PfHRP） Ⅱ and Ⅲ.  Methods  Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples of 20 patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum in Yunnan Province. Blood samples were tested by microscopy and RDTs. The Pfhrp2 and Pfhrp3 gene fragments were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The sequencing results were analyzed and compared using the bioinformatics software.  Results  20 patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum tested by microscopy and RDTs. PCR showed that the Pfhrp2 gene was with 389~986 bp, and Pfhrp3 gene with 329~640 bp. All PfHRPⅡ sequences started with type 1 repeat（AHHAHHVAD） and ended with the type 12 repeat （AHHAAAHHEAATH）. The number of type 7 （AHHAAD）， type 2（AHHAHHAAD） and type 6（AHHATD） within PfHRPⅡ was more than the other types of repeats， as well as type 16（AHHAAN） and type 17 （AHHDG） for PfHRPⅢ. Type 11 repeat （AHN） was not found from the PfHRPⅡ and PfHRPⅢ sequences.  Conclusion  There is an extensive diversity in Pfhrp2 and Pfhrp3 fragments in the individuals infected with P. falciparum in Yunnan. Some types of repeats are shared by PfHRPⅡ and PfHRPⅢ.

Key words: Plasmodium falciparum, Histidine-rich protein Ⅱ, Histidine-rich protein Ⅲ, Typing