Plasmodium vivax whole genome sequencing from patient samples in the Peruvian Amazon

Plasmodium vivax poses a significant challenge to malaria elimination due to its ability to cause relapsed infections from reactivation of dormant liver parasites called hypnozoites. We analyzed 69 P. vivax whole genome sequences obtained directly from patients residing in three different villages along the Peruvian Amazon. This included 23 paired P. vivax samples from patients who experienced recurrent P. vivax parasitemia following observed treatment with chloroquine and primaquine. We present a comprehensive dataset of population genetics of Plasmodium vivax in the Peruvian Amazonian. We identify several known and new genetic markers of drug resistance, define the parasite population structure in this region, and demonstrate a novel method for distinguishing homologous relapses from recurrent infections.