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AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS

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immunology and microbiology

Pfcrt 76T and pfmdr1 86Y allele frequency in plasmodium falciparum isolates and use of self-medication in a rural area of Gabon

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 108, No. 11, Year 2014

Background: Studies showed that chloroquine resistance may revert to sensitivity after its withdrawal mainly detected by a significant decrease of Plasmodium falciparum pfcrt 76T and pfmdr1 86Y alleles. Besides, selfmedication is considered as a key factor of antimalarial drug resistance expansion. Thus, pfcrt 76T and pfmdr1 86Yallele frequency and its relationship with antimalarial drug self-medication was analyzed in P. falciparum isolates collected in Gabon. Methods: Samples were collected from febrile children screened for P. falciparum infection in 2005 and 2008 at the regional hospital of Oyem. Self-use of antimalarial drugs before the day of consultation was recorded. Polymorphic codons 76 and 86 of pfcrt and pfmdr1 genes were analyzed by PCR-RFLP. Results: The frequency of pfcrt 76T mutant allele was greater than 70.0% in 2005 and 2008. Wild type isolates were 1.7-fold more prevalent in 2008. The prevalence of pfmdr1 86Y mutant allele was comparable between 2005 and 2008 (p=0.1); the proportion of wild type allele reached 20.5% in 2008. The frequency of wild type allele pfcrt K76 or pfmdr1 N86 was higher among patients without anti-malarial drug self-medication compared to those who used it. Conclusions: An increase of the frequency of P. falciparum wild type allele pfcrt 76K and pfmdr1 86N was observed within a short period after chloroquine withdrawal. The proportion of mutant genotypes is still high, mainly among patients using self-medication with antimalarial drugs.
Statistics
Citations: 16
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 1
Identifiers
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Health System And Policy
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Locations
Gabon