Determination of the prevalence and type of plasmodium in mosquitoes present in the city of Nik Shahr, Southern Sistan and Baluchestan Province, IR Iran, by Multiplex Nested-PCR

Background: Malaria is one of the most important parasitic diseases, and is considered one of the important health issues in tropical and subtropical countries. The aim of this study was to determine the rate and type of infection of Anopheles mosquitoes by malarial parasites using Multiplex Nested-PCR in the South of Sistan and Baluchestan province. Materials and Methods: In the second half of 2017, 400 Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from Zahedan Medical Insecticide Check Centers located in villages around Nikshahr city. The mosquitoes were caught by hand-held methods in domestic (human and animal), natural and artificial outdoor places (Shelterpit). After DNA extraction, molecular analysis was performed using Multiplex Nested-PCR. Results: Of the 310 samples collected from parts of Lashar, Ahuran and the centre of Nik Shahr city, 6 samples (1.5%) were found to be infected with Plasmodium vivacs, and 90 samples collected from the Fennoj and Bennett sections of the city had no infection. Samples containing plasmodium falciparum and a mixture of Plasmodium vivacs and Plasmodium falciparum were not detected in this study. Conclusion: The results show that in places where the transmission of both species of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum occur, the detection of malarial parasites by PCR can be a very useful complement to confirm microscopic diagnosis