Cryptic Diversity and Demographic Expansion of Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria Vectors in Malaysia
Although Malaysia is considered free of human malaria, there has been a growing number of Plasmodium knowlesi cases. This alarming trend highlighted the need for our understanding of this parasite and its associated vectors, especially considering the role of genetic diversity in the adaptation a...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
MDPI
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/42132/2/Cryptic%20Diversity.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/42132/ https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/7/1369/review_report https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14071369 |
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| Summary: | Although Malaysia is considered free of human malaria, there has been a growing number
of Plasmodium knowlesi cases. This alarming trend highlighted the need for our understanding of
this parasite and its associated vectors, especially considering the role of genetic diversity in the
adaptation and evolution among vectors in endemic areas, which is currently a significant knowledge
gap in their fundamental biology. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of
Anopheles balabacensis, Anopheles cracens, Anopheles introlatus, and Anopheles latens—the vectors for
P. knowlesi malaria in Malaysia. Based on cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) and internal transcribed
spacer 2 (ITS2) markers, the genealogic networks of An. latens showed a separation of the haplotypes
between Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysia Borneo, forming two distinct clusters. Additionally,
the genetic distances between these clusters were high (2.3–5.2% for CO1) and (2.3–4.7% for ITS2),
indicating the likely presence of two distinct species or cryptic species within An. latens. In contrast,
no distinct clusters were observed in An. cracens, An. balabacensis, or An. introlatus, implying a lack
of pronounced genetic differentiation among their populations. It is worth noting that there were
varying levels of polymorphism observed across the different subpopulations, highlighting some
levels of genetic variation within these mosquito species. Nevertheless, further analyses revealed
that all four species have undergone demographic expansion, suggesting population growth and
potential range expansion for these vectors in this region |
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