Simultaneous detection of Plasmodium vivax dhfr, dhps, mdr1 and crt-o resistance-associated mutations in the Colombian Amazonian region

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Juan Ricardo Cubides, Paola Andrea Camargo-Ayala, Carlos Hernando Niño, Diego Garzón-Ospina, Anggie Ortega-Ortegón, Estefany Ospina-Cantillo, María Fernanda Orduz-Durán, Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2018
• Subjects: Malaria; Plasmodium vivax; Antimalarial drug resistance; Amazonian region; Colombia; pvdhfr; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2286-5; https://doaj.org/article/fb17029d261740d99d28c32edd26aed0

Abstract Background Malaria continues being a public health problem worldwide. Plasmodium vivax is the species causing the largest number of cases of malaria in Asia and South America. Due to the lack of a completely effective anti-malarial vaccine, controlling this disease has been based on transmission vector management, rapid diagnosis and suitable treatment. However, parasite resistance to anti-malarial drugs has become a major yet-to-be-overcome challenge. This study was thus aimed at determining pvmdr1, pvdhfr, pvdhps and pvcrt-o gene mutations and haplotypes from field samples obtained from an endemic area in the Colombian Amazonian region. Methods Fifty samples of parasite DNA infected by a single P. vivax strain from symptomatic patients from the Amazonas department in Colombia were analysed by PCR and the pvdhfr, pvdhps, pvmdr1 and pvcrt-o genes were sequenced. Diversity estimators were calculated from the sequences and the haplotypes circulating in the Colombian Amazonian region were obtained. Conclusion pvdhfr, pvdhps, pvmdr1 and pvcrt-o genes in the Colombian Amazonian region are characterized by low genetic diversity. Some resistance-associated mutations were found circulating in this population. New variants are also being reported. A selective sweep signal was located in pvdhfr and pvmdr1 genes, suggesting that these mutations (or some of them) could be providing an adaptive advantage.