Korean J Parasitol.  2012 Dec;50(4):379-384.

Prevalence of Drug Resistance-Associated Gene Mutations in Plasmodium vivax in Central China

• Lu F
• Wang B
• Cao J
• Sattabongkot J
• Zhou H
• Zhu G
• Kim K
• Gao Q
• Han ET

Abstract

Resistance of Plasmodium spp. to anti-malarial drugs is the primary obstacle in the fight against malaria, and molecular markers for the drug resistance have been applied as an adjunct in the surveillance of the resistance. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of mutations in pvmdr1, pvcrt-o, pvdhfr, and pvdhps genes in temperate-zone P. vivax parasites from central China. A total of 26 isolates were selected, including 8 which were previously shown to have a lower susceptibility to chloroquine in vitro. For pvmdr1, pvcrt-o, and pvdhps genes, no resistance-conferring mutations were discovered. However, a highly prevalent (69.2%), single-point mutation (S117N) was found in pvdhfr gene. In addition, tandem repeat polymorphisms existed in pvdhfr and pvdhps genes, which warranted further studies in relation to the parasite resistance to antifolate drugs. The study further suggests that P. vivax populations in central China may still be relatively susceptible to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.

Keyword

Plasmodium vivax; drug-resistance; mutation; central China

MeSH Terms

Antimalarials/*pharmacology
China
Chloroquine/pharmacology
DNA, Protozoan/chemistry/genetics
Drug Resistance/*genetics
Folic Acid Antagonists/pharmacology
Genotype
Humans
Malaria, Vivax/epidemiology/*parasitology
Plasmodium vivax/drug effects/*genetics/isolation & purification
Point Mutation
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/*genetics
Prevalence
Protozoan Proteins/genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Tandem Repeat Sequences/*genetics
Antimalarials
Chloroquine
DNA, Protozoan
Folic Acid Antagonists
Protozoan Proteins