Leveraging Biotechnology to Investigate Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 and Merozoite Surface Protein 2 Gene Polymorphismsin Relation to Malaria Status in an Endemic Setting in the Buea Health District

Abstract

Malaria remains a life-threatening mosquito-borne disease and a major global health concern, particularly in endemic regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. In these settings, individuals often harbor multiple genetically distinct strains of Plasmodium falciparum, a phenomenon known as multiplicity of infection (MOI). Genetic polymorphisms in both the parasite and host are believed to modulate malaria Status. In the parasite, polymorphic alleles of the Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) gene, particularly the FC27 and 3D7 allelic families, have been associated with disease Status across varying transmission settings. Similarly, in the human host, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 (MCP-1) gene at position -2518 (A>G) has been implicated in susceptibility and inflammatory responses during Plasmodium infections, though existing evidence remains inconclusive.

This study investigated the association between MCP-1 gene polymorphisms and malaria Status in individuals from Buea Municipality, a malariaendemic region in southwestern Cameroon. A cross-sectional study design was employed, enrolling 350 individuals, of whom 273 consented to participate (56% female, 44% male; age range: 1–90 years). Participants were classified into symptomatic (46%) and asymptomatic (54%) groups based on clinical and laboratory criteria. Malaria infection was confirmed by RDT (31.5%), microscopy (42.5%), and PCR (34.8%), with PCRpositive cases comprising 61% symptomatic and 39% asymptomatic individuals.

Analysis of MCP-1 polymorphisms revealed that the wild-type AA genotype was more frequent in symptomatic individuals (84.4%), whereas the AG and GG genotypes were more prevalent among asymptomatic participants. G allele frequency was higher in the asymptomatic group (17.4%) than in symptomatic individuals (9.4%). Genotype distributions were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for both groups, and no significant association was found between MCP-1 genotypes (p = 0.21) or alleles (p = 0.15) and malaria Status. Notably, MSP2 genotyping was not completed, highlighting challenges in assessing parasite polymorphisms in field settings.

These findings suggest a possible modulatory role of MCP-1 polymorphisms in influencing malaria outcomes, potentially through altered monocyte recruitment and inflammatory responses. However, further studies incorporating both host and parasite genetic markers are needed to clarify these associations in malaria-endemic populations.