Molecular detection of drug resistant polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Southwest, Nigeria.

Abstract

Objective Nigeria bears 25% of global malaria burden despite concerted efforts towards its control and elimination. The emergence of drug resistance to first line drugs, artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), indicates an urgent need for continuous molecular surveillance of drug resistance especially in high burden countries where drug interventions are heavily relied on. This study describes mutations in Plasmodium falciparum genes associated with drug resistance in malaria; Pfk1 3, Pfmdr1 , PfATPase6 and Pfcrt in isolates obtained from 83 symptomatic malaria patients between 1-61 years old from Lagos, a Mega city in South-west Nigeria. Results Two Pfmdr 1, N86 and Y184 variants were present at a prevalence of 56% and 13.25% of isolates respectively. There was one synonymous (S679S) and two non-synonymous (M699V, S769M) mutations in the Pfatp6 gene, while Pfcrt genotype (CVIET), had a prevalence of 45%. The Pfk13 C580Y mutant allele was detected by allelic discrimination in two samples with mixed genotypes. Pfk13 C580Y in west Africa is rare and this result calls for robust and larger scale surveillance of artemisinin resistance associated polymorphisms and delayed clearance phenotype in Nigeria.

Surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum pfcrt haplotypes in southwestern Uganda by high‐resolution melt analysis

“…The prevalence of CQ resistance haplotypes was assessed in parasite populations from multiple sites across Southwestern Uganda (Ibanda, Isingiro, Kiruhura, and Mbarara collected in 2010, and Kasese collected in 2015). Dominance of the mutant CVIET haplotype in the samples, and lack of the mutant SVMNT haplotype (Table 1), is consistent with what has been observed in other areas of Uganda and throughout sub-Saharan Africa during a similar time frame [5,8,20,21,26,27,40,44,54]. Additionally, the prevalence of CVIET in Group 2 samples (~ 45 %, from Kasese, Table 1) is consistent with previous findings in the region (~ 50 %, from Kanungu in 2016, [28], see Fig.…”

“…Molecular genotyping studies have predominantly used gene-specific PCR followed by sequencing to identify resistance conferring mutations [26,27,44]. Other approaches such as ligase detection reaction-fluorescent microsphere assay [28,40,45] and the quantitative PCRbased malariaTAC [46] facilitate higher sample throughput and the parallel assessment of multiple resistance alleles.…”

“…In other regions of the world, CQ resistant parasites persist decades after CQ cessation [17][18][19]. In general, a multitude of studies across Africa have observed a wide range in the proportion of CQ resistant parasites [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28], which emphasizes the need for continued surveillance of resistance markers.…”

Level of Antimalarial Drug Utilization Amongst Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff of University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

“…Teaching staff were observed to have a higher prevalent use of ACTs (95.1%) as compared to the Non-Teaching staff (94.6%) at a p-value of <0.05. In this study, the use of Artemisinins was comparatively more than quinines (71.1% vs 2.5%), this corresponds well to the findings by Tola et al, 2017 [12].…”

A Novel Computer-Aid Nanotechnology Targeting to Combat Antibiotics Resistance with Superbugs against COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Once seeded with AMR, commensal organisms may be key contributors to the dissemination of resistance due to the interconnectedness of microbial communities. While clinical settings have traditionally been the main focus of the emergence of AMR, non-clinical environments are becoming increasingly recognized as an important factor in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) [14,15]. We are now aware that anthropogenic, commensal, and environmental microorganisms all contribute to the reservoir of ARGs collectively forming the antibiotic resistome [16,17].…”