Leveraging Biotechnology to Investigate Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 and Merozoite Surface Protein 2 Gene Polymorphisms in Relation to Malaria Severity in an Endemic Setting in the Buea Health District

Malaria remains a life-threatening mosquito-borne disease and a major global health concern, particularly in endemic regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. In these settings, individuals often harbor multiple genetically distinct strains of Plasmodium falciparum, a phenomenon known as multiplicity of infection (MOI). Genetic polymorphisms in both the parasite and host are believed to modulate malaria severity. In the parasite, polymorphic alleles of the Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) gene, particularly the FC27 and 3D7 allelic families, have been associated with disease severity across varying transmission settings. Similarly, in the human host, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 (MCP-1) gene at position -2518 (A>G) has been implicated in susceptibility and inflammatory responses during Plasmodium infections, though existing evidence remains inconclusive.