Abstract The genetic background of the Brazilian population is mainly characterized by three parental populations: European, African, and Native American. The aim of this study was to overview the genetic ancestry estimates for different Brazilian geographic regions and analyze factors involved in these estimates. In this systematic scoping review were included 51 studies, comprehending 81 populations of 19 states from five regions of Brazil. To reduce the potential of bias from studies with different sampling methods, we calculated the mean genetic ancestry weighted by the number of individuals. The weighted mean proportions of European, African, and Native American ancestries were 68.1%, 19.6%, and 11.6%, respectively. At the regional level, the highest European contribution occurred in the South, while the highest African and Native American contributions occurred in the Northeastern and Northern regions, respectively. Among states in the Northeast region, Bahia and Ceará showed significant differences, suggesting distinct demographic histories. This review contributes for a broader understanding of the Brazilian ancestry and indicates that the ancestry estimates are influenced by the type of molecular marker and the sampling method.

The molecular basis of Plasmodium vivax chloroquine (CQ) resistance is still unknown. Elucidating the molecular background of parasites that are sensitive or resistant to CQ will help to identify and monitor the spread of resistance. By genotyping a panel of molecular markers, we demonstrate a similar genetic variability between in vitro CQ-resistant and sensitive phenotypes of P. vivax parasites. However, our studies identified two loci (MS8 and MSP1-B10) that could be used to discriminate between both CQ-susceptible phenotypes among P. vivax isolates in vitro. These preliminary data suggest that microsatellites may be used to identify and to monitor the spread of P. vivax-resistance around the world.