Genome-wide association studies on malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

Abstract

Background: Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The scoping review mapped evidence in research on existing studies on malaria genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in SSA. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to map existing studies in genome-wide association on malaria in SSA, with a review period between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2024. The searches were made with the last search done in January 2025. The extracted data were analyzed using R software and SRplot. Relevant studies were identified through electronic searching of Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Two independent reviewers followed the inclusion-exclusion criteria to extract relevant studies. Data from the studies were collected and synthesized using Excel and Zotero software. Results: We identified 89 studies for inclusion. Most of these studies (n = 42, 47%) used a case-control study design, while the rest used cross-sectional, cohort, longitudinal, family-based, and experimental study designs. These studies were conducted between 2000 and 2024, with a noticeable increase in publications from 2012. Most studies were carried out in Kenya (n = 23), Gambia (n = 18), Cameroon (n = 15), and Tanzania (n = 9), primarily exploring genetic variants associated with malaria susceptibility, resistance, and severity. Conclusion: Many case-control studies in Kenya and Gambia reported genetic variants in malaria susceptibility, resistance, and severity. GWAS on malaria is scarce in SSA, and even fewer studies are model-based. Consequently, there is a pressing need for more genome-wide research on malaria in SSA. Keywords: Genome-wide association studies, malaria, Sub-Saharan Africa, scoping review.