Upregulation of gametocytogenesis in anti-malarial drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum

In this study, artemisinin-resistantP. falciparum parasites were tested for the development of AID forms and their recovery. Interestingly, it was found that exposure of an asynchronous culture of artemisinin-resistantP. falciparum IPC 5202 to DHA, a line carrying a mutation in thePfK13 gene that is linked to artemisinin resistance, also results in dormancy. Both the ring and some late stages of these AID forms recovered after 10 –15 days. Furthermore, a high proportion of the recovered dormant forms developed into sexual forms or gametocytes after 3–4 weeks, which is almost a 7–8 times higher rate of conversion of asexual to sexual forms (gametocytes) or the malaria transmissible forms. In contrast, only early ring forms of artemisinin-sensitive parasites recovered slowly, and additional exposure of these parasites to artemisinin resulted in complete clearance within a week. This is in contrast to the resistant parasites exposed to a second dose of artemisinin, which resulted in a very high rate of dormancy an d recovery into sexual forms or gametocytes.
Source: Journal of Parasitic Diseases - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research