Yaye Ramatoulaye LawalyAnavaj kuntabhaiLaurence MarramaLassana KonateWaraphon PhimpraphiCheikh SokhnaAdama TallFatoumata Diène SarrChayanon PeerapittayamongkolChalisa LouicharoenBradley S. SchneiderAnaïs LevescotArthur TalmanIsabelle CasademontDidier MenardJean François TrapeChristophe RogierJaranit KaewkunwalThanyachai SuraIssarang NuchprayoonFrederic ArieyLaurence BarilPratap SinghasivanonOdile Mercereau-PuijalonRick PaulInstitut Pasteur de DakarInstitut Pasteur, ParisUniversite Cheikh Anta DiopMahidol UniversityInstitut de Recherche pour le Developpement DakarInstitut Pasteur du CambodgeIMTSSA Institut de Medecine Tropicale du Service de Sante des ArmeesChulalongkorn UniversityCNRS Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique2018-09-242018-09-242010-08-12PLoS ONE. Vol.5, No.6 (2010)193262032-s2.0-77956209235https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/28471Background: Studies on human genetic factors associated with malaria have hitherto concentrated on their role in susceptibility to and protection from disease. In contrast, virtually no attention has been paid to the role of human genetics in eliciting the production of parasite transmission stages, the gametocytes, and thus enhancing the spread of disease. Methods and Findings: We analysed four longitudinal family-based cohort studies from Senegal and Thailand followed for 2-8 years and evaluated the relative impact of the human genetic and non-genetic factors on gametocyte production in infections of Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax. Prevalence and density of gametocyte carriage were evaluated in asymptomatic and symptomatic infections by examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears and/or RT-PCR (for falciparum in one site). A significant human genetic contribution was found to be associated with gametocyte prevalence in asymptomatic P. falciparum infections. By contrast, there was no heritability associated with the production of gametocytes for P. falciparum or P. vivax symptomatic infections. Sickle cell mutation, HbS, was associated with increased gametocyte prevalence but its contribution was small. Conclusions: The existence of a significant human genetic contribution to gametocyte prevalence in asymptomatic infections suggests that candidate gene and genome wide association approaches may be usefully applied to explore the underlying human genetics. Prospective epidemiological studies will provide an opportunity to generate novel and perhaps more epidemiologically pertinent gametocyte data with which similar analyses can be performed and the role of human genetics in parasite transmission ascertained. © Lawaly et al.Mahidol UniversityAgricultural and Biological SciencesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyArticleSCOPUS10.1371/journal.pone.0011358