Table 1.
Summary and important findings from malaria epidemiological studies in adult twins
| Study no. | References | Location/year | Pv/Pf | Sample size/zygosity | Age (years) | Sex of the twins | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troye-Blomberg et al.23 | Liberia and Madagascar, 1990 | Pf | 12 MZ | NA | NA | Antibody response to Pf155/RESA-derived peptides is genetically regulated |
| 2 | Jepson et al.16 | Gambia, 1991 | Pf | 34 MZ, 186 DZ | 1–10 | NA | Not malaria susceptibility but the clinical presentation of malaria including fever is genetically regulated |
| 3 | Sjöberg et al.36 | Liberia and Madagascar, 1992 | Pf | 5 MZ, 3 DZ; 18 MZ, 8 DZ | 6–25, 2–35 | 12 M, 4 F | Antibody response to the intact Pf155/RESA antigen was more concordant in MZ twins than in DZ |
| 4 | Riley et al.24 | Gambia, 1993 | Pf | 6 MZ, 15 DZ | 18 | NA | The anti-Pfs 230 response is concordant in both DZ and MZ twin pairs |
| 5 | Troye-Blomberg et al.21 | Madagascar, 1994 | Pf | 14 MZ, 6 DZ | 2–35 | NA | The intensity of the T-cell responses might be genetically regulated |
| 6 | Troye-Blomberg et al.26 | Gambia, 1997 | Pf | 10 MZ, 9 DZ | 15–50 | MZ: 12 M, 8 F; DZ: 7 M, 11 F | Non-HLA class II genetic factors have a profound effect on the shaping of the T-cell repertoire |
| 7 | Taylor et al.25 | Gambia, 1996 | Pf | 15 MZ, 21 DZ | NA | NA | The selective recognition of malaria antigens by serum antibodies is not genetically regulated |
| 8 | Jepson et al.18 | Gambia, 1997 | Pf | 22 DZ | 5.3 (mean) | NA | Genetic factors including MHC genes affect the risk of mild malaria |
| 9 | Perlmann et al.29 | Gambia, Madagascar, 1999 | Pf | 15 MZ, 18 DZ | NA | NA | Serum IgE levels vary more in DZ twins as compared with MZ twins |
| 10 | Duah et al.30 | Gambia, 2009 | Pf | Adult: 58 MZ, 155 DZ; children: 32 MZ, 167 DZ | 14–92, 1–10 | NA | The genetic regulation of all antigen-specific isotype responses is mediated by non-HLA genes |
| 11 | Goncalves et al.17 | Mali, 2022 | Pf | 2 MZ, 23 DZ | 0–5 | 25 F, 25 M | Along with genetics, environmental factors also play a crucial role in malaria phenotype variations |
| 12 | Starck et al.28 | Sub-Saharan Africa, 2022 | Pf | 4,314 MZ, 2,994 DZ | 0.5–5 | 136,718 M, 134,011 F | Malaria infection induces a reduction in hemoglobin levels and affects population level hemoglobin |
DZ = dizygous; HLA = human leukocyte antigen; MHC = major histocompatibility complex; MZ = monozygous; NA = information not available.