Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Monitoring antimalarial drug-resistance markers in Somalia

  • Abdifatah Abdullahi Jalei (Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University) ;
  • Kesara Na-Bangchang (Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University) ;
  • Phunuch Muhamad (Drug Discovery and Development Center, Office of Advanced Science and Technology, Thammasat University) ;
  • Wanna Chaijaroenkul (Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University)
  • Received : 2022.10.12
  • Accepted : 2023.01.16
  • Published : 2023.02.28
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Abstract

The use of an effective antimalarial drug is the cornerstone of malaria control. However, the development and spread of resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains have placed the global eradication of malaria in serious jeopardy. Molecular marker analysis constitutes the hallmark of the monitoring of Plasmodium drug-resistance. This study included 96 P. falciparum PCR-positive samples from southern Somalia. The P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter gene had high frequencies of K76T, A220S, Q271E, N326S, and R371I point mutations. The N86Y and Y184F mutant alleles of the P. falciparum multidrug resistance 1 gene were present in 84.7 and 62.4% of the isolates, respectively. No mutation was found in the P. falciparum Kelch-13 gene. This study revealed that chloroquine resistance markers are present at high frequencies, while the parasite remains sensitive to artemisinin (ART). The continuous monitoring of ART-resistant markers and in vitro susceptibility testing are strongly recommended to track resistant strains in real time.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We thank all the patients who participated in the study. Special thanks go to the staff of Balad Hospital and Afgoi General Hospital, especially Mr. Mohamed Omar, Mr. Ahmed Hersi, and Ms. Fartun Mohamed, for their assistance in sample collection. We also thank Chulabhorn International College of Medicine of Thammasat University, Center of Excellence in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology of Malaria and Cholangiocarcinoma of Thammasat University, for the support of this research. Kesara Na-Bangchang is supported by the National Research Council of Thailand under the Research Team Promotion grant (grant number NRCT 820/2563).

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