Allelic dimorphism of the Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte binding antigen-175 [EBA-175] gene in the southeast of Iran

ABSTRACT

The erythrocyte binding antigen 175 kDa [EBA-175] gene is located on chromosome 7. It encodes protein that binds to specific receptor glycophorin A on the erythrocyte surface during invasion. It has a dimorphic nature [FCR3 and CAMP]. This study was designed to determine the distribution of EBA-175 alleles of Plasmodium falciparum in the southeast of Iran. We used the nested PCR method with specific primers, which improves the two fragments of the EBA-175 gene. Sixty eight microscopically positive blood samples were collected from the infected falciparum malaria subjects in the southeast of Iran. In this study which marks the first one in Iran, CAMP strains [714 bp] and FCR-3 strains [795 bp] were found in 14 [37.8%] and 23 [62.2%] in the originally Iranian subjects and in 10 [32.3%] and 19 [61.3%] Pakistani infected migrants respectively. Two migrant cases [6.4%] had mix CAMP/FCR-3 infection. The two fragments of dimorphic EBA-175 gene were observed and the FCR-3 allele was more prevalent in Iran. There was no significant correlation between one of the EBA-175 alleles and the subject group in the mentioned region. This distributional pattern should be considered in designing to control P. falciparum malaria in the region