Characterization of G6PD genotypes in G6PD deficiency patients from Suratthani Hospital, Thailand

Abstract

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is highly prevalent in Southeast Asia especially in the area of malaria endemic regions. Primaquine is used for the radical treatment of malaria. However, it causes hemolytic anemia in G6PD deficient patients. Objectives: To characterize G6PD mutations in G6PD deficient patients around Surat Thani province which is one of the malaria-endemic areas in Thailand. Materials and methods: One hundred and seventeen leftovered EDTA blood samples were received from primary hospital in Surat Thani Province. All the samples were evaluated for their hematological profiles using an automated hematological analyzer (Beckman Coulter LH 780 Analyzer) and genotyped for G6PD variants using the DiaPlexC G6PD Genotyping Kit. Results: G6PD mutations were identified in 117 cases of G6PD deficient cases. G6PD Viangchan (51.1%) was identified in 43 Thais and 4 Myanmars, G6PD Mahidol (30.5%) in 16 Thais and 12 Myanmars, G6PD Canton (7.6%) in 4 Thais, 2 Myanmars and 1 Laos, G6PD Kaiping and G6PD Union (4.3% each) in 4 Thais each, and G6PD Mediterranean (2.2%) in 2 Thais. However, the G6PD mutations could not be identified in the remaining 14 samples. There was no evidence of significant differences between hematological parameters among different groups of G6PD variants. Conclusion: Our study revealed various distribution of G6PD variants in the region, raising the awareness about the requirement for optimal dosage of primaquine in the treatment of malaria infection based on data on G6PD variants.

Keywords

• G6PD deficiency
• G6PD genotype
• malaria
• DiaPlexC G6PD Genotyping Kit
• Plasmodium falciparum
• Plasmodium vivax