Last Updated: 09/02/2026

Plasmodium vivax genomic surveillance

Objectives

The aim of this project is to improve genomic surveillance of Plasmodium vivax in malaria endemic countries.

Principal Institution

Menzies School of Health Research, Australia

Principal Investigators / Focal Persons

Rationale and Abstract

This study provides the first high-resolution genetic picture of 𝑃. 𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑥 in Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, demonstrating that microhaplotype genotyping is a feasible, cost-effective tool for detecting cross-border transmission and supporting malaria elimination in South Asia and beyond.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:

Polyclonal infections were common in high-endemic settings (29.6% in Afghanistan and 20.2% in Pakistan), while all parasites from Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh were monoclonal, suggesting lower superinfection.
Country-wide Identity by Descent (IBD) analyses revealed three genetic clusters partitioning Bangladesh and Bhutan (partial) from the remaining countries.
Two distinct sub-populations in Bhutan, separating local cases from imported cases.

Study Design

Genotyping was conducted using the 93-microhaplotype vivaxGEN panel on P. vivax parasites collected from patients enrolled in clinical trials in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal between 2013 and 2023. These data were compared with open-access microhaplotype and genomic data derived from Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan between 2014 and 2024. Polyclonality and relatedness (identity by descent (IBD)) were determined within and between countries.

Project Outputs