Background: Observations in natural Plasmodium falciparum populations after removal of failing drugs suggest that there is a fitness cost of drug resistance.
Methods: To examine the effect of transient removal of drug pressure, we analyzed seasonal changes in the prevalence of chloroquine (CQ)-resistant parasite genotypes in The Gambia. Parasite isolates from 441 children presenting with uncomplicated falciparum malaria over 5 seasons (1998-2002) were linked to weekly rainfall data.
Results: The prevalence of CQ-resistant parasites increased slightly over 5 years, with the 76T allele of pfcrt (odds ratio [OR] per year, 1.16; P=.03) and the 86Y allele of pfmdr1 (OR per year, 1.18; P=.02) becoming significantly more common. However, intraseasonal analysis showed that these alleles decreased in prevalence each dry season. Wild-type parasites with respect to both loci predominated as transmission began each year, with resistant parasites becoming more common as drug use increased. This pattern was seen for both pfcrt-76T (OR per week, 1.09; P=.001) and pfmdr1-86Y (OR per week, 1.07; P=.001) and could not be explained by seasonal changes in the clonal complexity of infections.
Conclusions: The fitness cost of CQ resistance works against the persistence of resistant parasites through the dry season.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/522154 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
December 2024
Center for Global Health and Inter-Disciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Successful transmission of Plasmodium falciparum from one person to another relies on the complete intraerythrocytic development of non-pathogenic sexual gametocytes infectious for anopheline mosquitoes. Understanding the genetic factors that regulate gametocyte development is vital for identifying transmission-blocking targets in the malaria parasite life cycle. Toward this end, we conducted a forward genetic study to characterize the development of gametocytes from sexual commitment to mature stage V.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCharacterization of serological responses to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) is of interest to understand disease burden and transmission dynamics; however, their interpretation is challenging. Dried blood spots from 30,815 participants aged 6 months to 15 years from the 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey were analyzed by multiplex bead-based assay to measure immunoglobulin G (IgG) to Pf-stage-specific MSP-1, AMA-1, GLURPR0, LSA-1, and CSP. These IgG levels were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Microbiol Biotechnol
December 2024
Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Malaria, a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium spp. and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, remains a major global health issue, with an estimated 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths in 2022. Rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment are crucial for malaria control and elimination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biomol Struct Dyn
December 2024
School of Biotechnology, KIIT Deemed To be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
The FIKK protein family, encompassing 21 serine-threonine protein kinases, is a distinctive cluster exclusive to the Apicomplexa phylum. Predominantly located in which is a malarial parasite, with a solitary gene identified in a distinct apicomplexan species, this family derives its nomenclature from - phenylalanine, isoleucine, lysine, lysine (FIKK), a conserved amino acid motif. Integral to the parasite's life cycle and consequential to malaria pathogenesis, the absence of orthologous proteins in eukaryotic organisms designates it as a promising antimalarial drug target.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
November 2024
Infectious Diseases, Harlem Hospital Center, New York, USA.
Malaria is an infection caused by five different Plasmodium species. The most common are is more rarely reported and mostly has a benign course. We present a case of a 40-year-old male with a six-day history of headaches, chills, and fever who was initially evaluated in our emergency room, from where he was discharged after a negative workup for malaria.
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