Diversity of P. falciparum MSP2 across Africa

Genetic diversity in Plasmodium falciparum poses a significant challenge to malaria control and elimination. This is particularly important for the development of fully efficacious vaccines, which should include valuable blood stage antigens. Several antigen candidates are highly diverse and require further understanding. We surveyed the genetic diversity of the highly polymorphic merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) in 2761 P. falciparum isolates from across Sub-Saharan Africa. Using PCR-based genotyping and long-read sequencing, we identified extensive diversity of msp2 variants and sequences. Some variants were more prevalent than others across geographical areas, transmission intensities, and temporally. These size variants were made up of multiple unique sequences yet a minority was dominant, and geographically and temporally widespread. Our study demonstrates a greater msp2 sequence diversity than previously estimated, yet identifies interesting sequence and gene length similarities across Sub-Saharan Africa. These findings support further exploration of common MSP2 variants in relation to parasite biology and vaccine development.