Genetic Characterization of C-Terminal Region of SERA5 Gene in Isolates of Plasmodium vivax in Southwestern Iran

Plasmodium vivax is one of the leading causes of malaria as a severe and death disease. Malaria has always been a major challenge for human health. The study of the genetic diversity of genes in malaria-causing agents has always been a concern for researchers. One of these genes is SERA, which plays a key role in parasite escape from the immune system.

DNA was extracted from 40 blood samples taken from symptomatic malaria patients infected with P. vivax in southern and southwestern Iran using a DNA extraction kit. Then PCR was performed with specific primers, and the data were analyzed by sequencing and recording genes.

In this study, 14 different isolates were identified among all samples, which were recorded in the World Gene Bank. The number of haplotypes among the 14 samples was 12. Also, there were 25 polymorphic nucleotide positions out of about 400 nucleotide sites. The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous mutations (1.87094) and the amount of Tajima’s D (-0.57671) indicated the positive effect of natural selection on the genetic diversity of C-terminal region in the SERA5 gene.

Considering the safety and relative immunogenicity of vaccines, in addition to performing clinical trials, a regional vaccine should be developed to overcome genetic variation and antigenic changes in proteins.