diversity of merozoite surface protein-3β gene of plasmodium vivax isolates from iran

background: plasmodium vivax malaria accounts for approximately 88% of malaria cases in iran. there is limited in­formation on genetic diversity of p. vivax in the country and a need to develop and apply an effective vaccine against the dis­ease is necessary. among many potential candidates, msp -3β gene is promising target. this study was designed and car­ried out to determine the variation of this gene as genetic marker in population of malarious areas of iran. methods: blood sample of 85 p. vivax isolates from four southern and east-southern provinces of the country assessed for poly­morphism of p v msp-3β gene by pcr/rflp method. results:   based on the size of pcr product of the gene, 7 genetically different types of parasite has been distinguished. two alleles were simultaneously visible in 19 % of the cases. results from pcr/rflp analysis of p v msp-3β gene showed at least 15 allelic groups. multiple infections have been found in 2.4 % of the cases. conclusion: p v msp-3β gene was highly diverse in p. vivax isolates of malarious areas of iran, and can be a suitable marker for population genetic studies of p. vivax. more investigations on pvmsp-3β genes are needed to reveal genetic structure of p. vivax in iran.