Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/6776
Title
Detection of high levels of mutations involved in anti-malarial drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax at a rural hospital in southern Ethiopia
Author(s)
Mula Lozano, Patricia ISCIII | Fernandez-Martinez, Amalia ISCIII | Lucio, Aida de ISCIII | Ramos, Jose Manuel | Reyes, Francisco | Gonzalez-Mora, Vicenta ISCIII | Benito, Agustin ISCIII | Berzosa, Pedro ISCIII
Date issued
2011-08-02
Citation
Malar J. 2011 Aug 2;10:214.
Language
Inglés
Document type
journal article
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, and anti-malarial drug resistance is the most pressing problem confronting control of the disease. Since co-infection by both species of parasite is common and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) has been intensively used, resistance to these drugs has appeared in both P. falciparum and P. vivax populations. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of anti-malarial drug resistance in P. falciparum and P. vivax isolates collected at a rural hospital in southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A total of 1,147 patients with suspected malaria were studied in different months across the period 2007-2009. Plasmodium falciparum dhfr and dhps mutations and P. vivax dhfr polymorphisms associated with resistance to SP, as well as P. falciparum pfcrt and pfmdr1 mutations conferring chloroquine resistance, were assessed. RESULTS: PCR-based diagnosis showed that 125 of the 1147 patients had malaria. Of these, 52.8% and 37.6% of cases were due to P. falciparum and P. vivax respectively. A total of 10 cases (8%) showed co-infection by both species and two cases (1.6%) were infected by Plasmodium ovale. Pfdhfr triple mutation and pfdhfr/pfdhps quintuple mutation occurred in 90.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 82.2%-95.5%) and 82.9% (95% CI: 72.9%-89.7%) of P. falciparum isolates, respectively. Pfcrt T76 was observed in all cases and pfmdr1 Y86 and pfmdr1 Y1246 in 32.9% (95% CI: 23.4%-44.15%) and 17.1% (95% CI: 10.3-27.1%), respectively. The P. vivax dhfr core mutations, N117 and R58, were present in 98.2% (95% CI: 89.4-99.9%) and 91.2% (95% CI: 80.0-96.7%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Current molecular data show an extraordinarily high frequency of drug-resistance mutations in both P. falciparum and P. vivax in southern Ethiopia. Urgent surveillance of the emergence and spread of resistance is thus called for. The level of resistance indicates the need for implementation of entire population access to the new first-line treatment with artemether-lumefantrine, accompanied by government monitoring to prevent the emergence of resistance to this treatment.
MESH
Adolescent | Adult | Aged | Antimalarials | Child | Child, Preschool | DNA, Protozoan | Dihydropteroate Synthase | Ethiopia | Hospitals, Rural | Humans | Infant | Malaria, Falciparum | Malaria, Vivax | Membrane Transport Proteins | Middle Aged | Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins | Plasmodium falciparum | Plasmodium vivax | Polymerase Chain Reaction | Polymorphism, Genetic | Protozoan Proteins | Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase | Young Adult | Drug Resistance | Mutation, Missense
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