Signatures in DBL5ε domain of VAR2CSA expressed by placental parasites.

Gap, EDTKQ and EYTGN motifs are mainly found in samples from primigravidae compared to those from multigravidae (p = 0.02) whereas TFKNI and QYTGN are mostly or exclusively found in multigravidae (p = 0.013). At the level of sequence types obtained from each sample, the EDTKQ, EYTGN and gap signatures are more frequent among DBL5ε sequences from primigravidae compared to those originating from multigravidae (p = 0.036). Similarly, the TFKNI and QYTGN motifs are mostly or exclusively found in sequences from multigravidae (p = 0.0019 and p = 0.038 respectively). ap<.05, Fisher's exact test. bp<.001, Fisher's exact test.