POLYMORPHISM IN PLASMODIUM-VIVAX MSA1 GENE - THE RESULT OF INTRAGENICRECOMBINATIONS

The diversity in a 925 bp portion of the Plasmodium vivax MSA1 gene in isolates from the Philippines, China, the Solomon Islands and Papua N ew Guinea was investigated. A total of 74 base pair changes was found in the amplified fragment from 18 isolates. Most of these changes were single or double base pair substitutions. In several regions, these p oint changes were tightly linked with one set always present or always absent in the different isolates. Seven such blocks were identified. These blocks were present in different combinations in the different i solates indicating that extensive intragenic recombination has occurre d.