Prevalence of G6PD deficiency and Plasmodium falciparum parasites in asymptomatic school children living in southern Ghana.
BACKGROUND
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an X-linked genetic disorder that results in impaired enzyme activity. Although G6PD deficiency is globally distributed it is more prevalent in malaria-endemic countries. Several mutations have been identified in the G6PD gene, which alter enzyme activity. The G6PD genotype predominantly found in sub-Saharan Africa is the G6PDB (G6PD376A) with (G6PD376G) and G6PDA- (G6PD376G/202A, G6PD376G/542T, G6PD376G/680T and G6PD376G/968C) occurring at lower frequencies.


AIM
The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of G6PD deficiency and asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum carriage in children living in southern Ghana and determine whether G6PD deficiency influences asymptomatic carriage of P. falciparum parasites.


METHODS
Blood samples were obtained once a month from 170 healthy Ghanaian school children aged between 5 and 12 years from Basic schools in two communities Obom and Abura with similar rainfall patterns and malaria peak seasons. G6PD enzyme activity was assessed using the qualitative G6PD RDT kit (AccessBIO). G6PD genotyping and asymptomatic parasite carriage was determined by PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of DNA extracted from dried blood spots.


RESULTS
The only sub-Saharan G6PD A- allele detected was the A376G/G202A found in 12.4 % (21/170), of the children and distributed as 4.1 % (7/170) A-, 1.8 % (3/170) A-/A- homozygous deficient males and females and 6.5 % (11/170) A/A- and B/A- heterozygous deficient females. Phenotypically, 10.6 % (15/142) of the children were G6PD deficient. The asymptomatic carriage of P. falciparum by PCR was 50, 29.4, 38.2 and 38.8 % over the months of February through May 2015, respectively, and 28.8, 22.4, 25.9 and 5.9 % by microscopy during the same periods.


CONCLUSIONS
G6PD deficiency was significantly associated with a lowered risk of PCR-estimated asymptomatic P. falciparum carriage in children during the off peak malaria season in Southern Ghana.
['Amoah|Linda Eva|LE|', 'Opong|Akua|A|', 'Ayanful-Torgby|Ruth|R|', 'Abankwa|Joana|J|', 'Acquah|Festus K|FK|']
D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D005260:Female D005838:Genotype D060005:Genotyping Techniques D005869:Ghana D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase D005955:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency D006801:Humans D008137:Longitudinal Studies D016778:Malaria, Falciparum D008297:Male D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length D015995:Prevalence D012574:Schools D013334:Students
G6PD Plasmodium falciparum Genotyping Malaria RFLP ELISA Primaquine