Detection of Artemisinin Resistance Marker Kelch-13 469Y in Plasmodium falciparum, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2022

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024 Feb 20:tpmd230740. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0740. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTPartial artemisinin resistance has emerged in East Africa, posing a threat to malaria control across the continent. The Democratic Republic of the Congo carries one of the heaviest malaria burdens globally, and the South Kivu province directly borders current artemisinin resistance hot spots, but indications of such resistance have not been observed so far. We assessed molecular markers of antimalarial drug resistance in 256 Plasmodium falciparum isolates collected in 2022 in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. One isolate carried the P. falciparum Kelch-13 469Y variant, a marker associated with partial artemisinin resistance and decreased lumefantrine susceptibility in Uganda. In addition, the multidrug resistance-1 mutation pattern suggested increased lumefantrine tolerance.PMID:38377612 | DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.23-0740

Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - February 20, 2024 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Welmoed van Loon Bertin C Bisimwa Val éry Byela Rebecca Kirby Patrick M Bugeme Aim é Balagizi David Lupande Espoir B Malembaka Frank P Mockenhaupt Esto Bahizire Source Type: research