Approximately 3.3 billion people live in risk areas of malaria and as many as 1.2 billion people live in high-risk areas. In Aceh province, clinical manifestations of malaria patients are highly variable. This condition is due to genetic variations. Even so, until now the gene polymorphisms of parasite in Aceh province have not been investigated.
This was stated by dr. H Kurnia Fitri Jamil, M. Kes., SpPD-KPTI, FINASIM while undergoing open Doctoral exam at Faculty of MedicineUGM. Accompanied by promoter,Prof. dr. Supargiyono, DTM & H, Sp.Par (K)., SU., Ph.D, and co-promoter, Prof. dr. Din Syafruddin, Ph.D, he defended his dissertation entitled Study On Clinical Manifestations, Response Therapy and Gene Polymorphism in Merozoite Surface Protein 1 and 2 Patients with falciparum malaria in Aceh Province.
"This study aims to analyze the relationship of msp2 and msp1 genes with the clinical manifestations of malaria and falciparum malaria patient's response to therapy in several hospitals in the province of Aceh," said Fitri Jamil at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine UGM, Thursday (22/9).
Fitri Jamil said that information about polymorphism of parasite gene with clinical manifestations of malaria will serve to explain effective way to reduce malaria. Therefore, this study is expected to analyze the role of msp1 and msp2 genes to the manifestations of malaria on patients in several hospitals in the region of Aceh.
According to the lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Syiah Kuala in Banda Aceh, the genetic diversity of malaria parasite in several malaria-endemic areas of the world has been associated with clinical manifestations of malaria. Clinical manifestations of malaria are a result phenomenon of interaction between the parasites, the host and the environment.
"But the information about this gene encoding, particularly msp1 and msp2 genes in Indonesia is still very limited and has not yet been associated with clinical manifestations of malaria," he said.
From the research he conducted, Fitri Jamil concluded that liver dysfunction was significantly more common in patients with falciparum malaria in Aceh province with msp2 gene alleles which is multiple alleles FC27 + 3D7. While msp1 gene alleles showed no association with specific clinical symptoms.
Therapeutic response in patients with falciparum malaria in Aceh province did not show any significant relationship with the type alleles of msp1 and msp2 genes and severe malaria symptoms were significantly more common in malaria patients with multiple types of alleles of genes msp1 K1 + RO33 with OR: 28.50. While msp2 gene alleles type showed no relationship with symptoms of severe malaria.
"Of course further research is needed to determine the relationship of clinical manifestations of mild and severe malaria, clinical symptoms and response to the therapy relation to the role of immunity of the host, for out of it will be known the possibility of a relationship of msp1 and msp2 genes type with resistance to anti-malarial drugs in malaria falciparum," she explained.