Case Report: A Case of Plasmodium falciparum hrp2 and hrp3 Gene Mutation in Bangladesh

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017 Oct;97(4):1155-1158. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0884. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

Abstract

Several species of Plasmodium are responsible for causing malaria in humans. Proper diagnoses are crucial to case management, because severity and treatment varies between species. Diagnoses can be made using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), which detect Plasmodium proteins. Plasmodium falciparum causes the most virulent cases of malaria, and P. falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) is a common target of falciparum malaria RDTs. Here we report a case in which a falciparum malaria patient in Bangladesh tested negative on PfHRP2-based RDTs. The negative results can be attributed to a deletion of part of the pfhrp2 gene and frameshift mutations in both pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene. This finding may have implications for malaria diagnostics and case management in Bangladesh and other regions of South Asia.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Antigens, Protozoan / genetics
  • Antigens, Protozoan / metabolism*
  • Bangladesh
  • Gene Expression Regulation / physiology
  • Humans
  • Malaria, Falciparum / epidemiology*
  • Malaria, Falciparum / parasitology*
  • Male
  • Parasitemia
  • Plasmodium falciparum / genetics*
  • Plasmodium falciparum / isolation & purification
  • Protozoan Proteins / genetics
  • Protozoan Proteins / metabolism*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antigens, Protozoan
  • HRP-2 antigen, Plasmodium falciparum
  • HRP3 protein, Plasmodium falciparum
  • Protozoan Proteins