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Recent shifts in global health policy have led to the implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) for neglected tropical diseases. Here we show how population genetic analyses can provide vital insights into the impact of such MDA on endemic parasite populations. We show that even a single round of MDA produced a genetic bottleneck with reductions in a range of measures of genetic diversity of Schistosoma mansoni. Phylogenetic analyses and indices of population differentiation indicated that schistosomes collected in the same schools in different years were more dissimilar than those from different schools collected within either of the study's 2 years, in addition to distinguishing re-infection from non-clearance (that might indicate putatively resistant parasites) from within those children infected at both baseline and follow-up. Such unique results illustrate the importance of genetic monitoring and examination of long lived multi-cellular parasites such as these under novel or increased chemotherapeutic selective pressures.

Original publication

DOI

10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0283

Type

Journal

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene

Publication Date

10/2010

Volume

83

Pages

951 - 957

Addresses

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, Faculty of Medicine, London, United Kingdom. a.norton@wellcome.ac.uk

Keywords

Animals, Humans, Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosomiasis mansoni, Praziquantel, Schistosomicides, Cluster Analysis, Phylogeny, Time Factors, Child, Tanzania, Genetic Variation