Decreased dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine protection against recurrent malaria associated with Plasmodium falciparum plasmepsin 3 copy number variation in Africa.

ABSTRACT: Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) is being recommended in Africa for the management of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria and for chemoprevention strategies, based on the ability of piperaquine to delay re-infections. Although therapeutic resistance to piperaquine has been linked to increased copy number in plasmepsin-coding parasite genes (pfpm), their effect on the duration of the post-treatment prophylactic period remains unclear. Here, we retrospectively analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial, where patients received either DHA-PPQ or artesunate-amodiaquine for recurrent malaria episodes over two years. We observed an increase in the relative risk of re-infection among patients receiving DHA-PPQ compared to artesunate-amodiaquine after the first malaria season.

SUBMITTER: Pernaute-Lau L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11920258 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature