Investigation of Mutations in the and Genes of for the Molecular Surveillance of Chloroquine Resistance in Parasites from Gold Mining Areas in Roraima, Brazil.

causes the largest malaria burden in Brazil, and chloroquine resistance poses a challenge to eliminating malaria by 2035. Illegal mining in the Roraima Yanomami Indigenous territory can lead to the introduction of resistant parasites. This study aimed to investigate mutations in the and genes to determine their potential as predictors of chloroquine-resistant phenotypes. Samples were collected in two health centers of Boa Vista. A questionnaire was completed, and blood was drawn from each patient. Then, DNA extraction, PCR, amplicon purification, and DNA sequencing were performed. After alignment with the Sal-1, the amplified fragment was analyzed. Patients infected with the mutant parasites were queried in the Surveillance Information System. Among the patients, 98% (157/164) of participants were from illegal mining areas. The was sequenced in 151 samples, and the K10 insertion was identified in 13% of them. The was sequenced in 80 samples, and the YF haplotype (958) was detected in 92% of them and the TYF was detected in 8%, while the Y was absent. No cases of recrudescence, hospitalization, or death were found. Mutations in the and genes have no potential to predict chloroquine resistance in .