Abstract
BackgroundResistance of Plasmodium falciparum to anti-malarial drugs has hampered efforts to eradicate malaria. Recent reports of a decline in the prevalence of chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum in several countries, including Malawi and Zambia, is raising the hope of reintroducing chloroquine in the near future, ideally in combination with another anti-malarial drug for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. In Côte d’Ivoire, the decrease in the clinical efficacy of chloroquine, in addition to a high proportion of clinical isolates carrying the Thr-76 mutant allele of the pfcrt gene, had led to the discontinuation of the use of chloroquine in 2004. Previous studies have indicated the persistence of a high prevalence of the Thr-76 mutant allele despite the withdrawal of chloroquine as first-line anti-malarial drug. This present study is conducted to determine the prevalence of the Thr-76T mutant allele of the Pfcrt gene after a decade of the ban on the sale and use of chloroquine in Côte d’Ivoire.ResultsAnalysis of the 64 sequences from all three study sites indicated a prevalence of 15% (10/64) of the Thr-76 mutant allele against 62% (40/64) of the Lys-76 wild-type allele. No mutation of the allele Thr-76 was observed at Anonkoua Kouté while this mutant allele was in 31% (5/16) and 25% (5/20) of isolate sequences from Port-Bouët and Ayamé respectively.ConclusionMore than a decade after the discontinuation of the use of chloroquine in Côte d’Ivoire, the proportion of parasites sensitive to this anti-malarial seems to increase in Anonkoua-kouté, Port-bouët and Ayamé.
Highlights
Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to anti-malarial drugs has hampered efforts to eradicate malaria
Prevalence of the individual alleles of the pfcrt gene and molecular analysis of the corresponding genotypes Across all the three study sites, the results indicated that the prevalence of wild-type isolates Met-74 (73%), Asn-75 (75%), Lys-76 (62%) is higher than those isolates carrying mutations of the pfcrt gene Ile-74 (7%), Glu75 (7%) and Thr-76 (15%) (Table 2)
Previous studies carried out in West Africa and in Côte d’Ivoire showed a strong correlation between the Thr-76 mutation of the pfcrt gene and the therapeutic failures on one hand, and between the Thr76 mutation of the pfcrt gene and in vitro chemoresistance of P. falciparum isolates to chloroquine [19,20,21,22] on the other hand
Summary
Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to anti-malarial drugs has hampered efforts to eradicate malaria. Previous studies have indicated the persistence of a high prevalence of the Thr-76 mutant allele despite the withdrawal of chloroquine as first-line antimalarial drug. This present study is conducted to determine the prevalence of the Thr-76T mutant allele of the Pfcrt gene after a decade of the ban on the sale and use of chloroquine in Côte d’Ivoire. Recent reports of a decline in the prevalence of chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum in several countries, including Malawi and Zambia, raise the hope of reintroducing chloroquine in the near future ideally in combination with another anti-malarial drug for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria [11, 12]. It could possibly be given to non-vulnerable groups, but it requires close monitoring of possible reemergence of CQ
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
