Diversity of Plasmodium falciparum populations and complexity of infections in relation to transmission intensity and host age: a study from the Usambara Mountains, Tanzania

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Abstract
Diversity and complexity of infections with Plasmodium falciparum were described from cross-sectional surveys in November–December 1996 in 6 villages in the Usambara Mountains, Tanzania, where transmission ranged markedly from 0·03 to 91 infective bites per individual per year. Forty-eight samples, stratified for age and parasite densities, were examined from each village (n = 288). Genotyping was performed by a nested PCR method using primers specific for allele families of genes for the merozoite surface protein 1 (msp-1) and merozoite surface protein 2 (msp-2). A high degree of genetic diversity was found within each village but there were no differences found among the 6 villages. Poisson regressions showed significant effects of host age, village and interaction between host age and village on the complexity of infection. There was a positive, non-linear relationship between complexity of infection and transmission intensity with a maximal number of genotypes found per individual even at high transmission intensities. Furthermore there was a significantly lower complexity found in adults (>15 years) as compared to children (P. falciparum.

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