Genetic Diversity of Potential Drug Resistance Markers in <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> Isolates from Panama, Mesoamerica.

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the genetic diversity and potential drug resistance markers in Plasmodium vivax isolates from Panama, a country in Mesoamerica, aiming to eliminate local malaria transmission. We analyzed 70 P. vivax samples collected between 2004 and 2020 from endemic regions in Eastern and Western Panama, as well as imported cases. Four drug resistance genes (pvcrt-o, pvmdr1, pvdhfr, and pvdhps) were sequenced and analyzed. Our findings reveal low genetic diversity in P. vivax populations from Western Panama, indicating clonal expansion, while Eastern Panama exhibits higher diversity, influenced by higher transmission rates and imported cases. No mutations were detected in pvcrt-o, and the prevalence of pvmdr1 mutations (

SUBMITTER: Vasquez V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11944334 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature