Clinically relevant atovaquone-resistant human malaria parasites fail to transmit by mosquito.

ABSTRACT: Long-acting injectable medications, such as atovaquone, offer the prospect of a "chemical vaccine" for malaria, combining drug efficacy with vaccine durability. However, selection and transmission of drug-resistant parasites is of concern. Laboratory studies have indicated that atovaquone resistance disadvantages parasites in mosquitoes, but lack of data on clinically relevant Plasmodium falciparum has hampered integration of these variable findings into drug development decisions. Here we generate atovaquone-resistant parasites that differ from wild type parent by only a Y268S mutation in cytochrome b, a modification associated with atovaquone treatment failure in humans. Relative to wild type, Y268S parasites evidence multiple defects, most marked in their development in mosquitoes, whet

SUBMITTER: Balta VA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10570281 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature