Genetic diversity and population structure of Plasmodium vivax isolates from Sudan, Madagascar, French Guiana and Armenia

•Seven microsatellite loci were analyzed in 281 P. vivax isolates from four countries.•Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed for parasite populations.•Examined populations were highly polymorphic with HE values between 0.83 and 0.67.•Isolates from Madagascar and Sudan showed lowest inter-population differentiation.•Armenia and French Guiana vivax populations displayed great differentiation.

Polymorphic genetic markers and especially microsatellite analysis can be used to investigate multiple aspects of the biology of Plasmodium species. In the current study, we characterized 7 polymorphic microsatellites in a total of 281 Plasmodium vivax isolates to determine the genetic diversity and population structure of P. vivax populations from Sudan, Madagascar, French Guiana, and Armenia. All four parasite populations were highly polymorphic with 3-32 alleles per locus. Mean genetic diversity values was 0.83, 0.79, 0.78 and 0.67 for Madagascar, French Guiana, Sudan, and Armenia, respectively. Significant genetic differentiation between all four populations was observed.