The changing landscape of Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Drug resistant malaria is a growing concern in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where previous studies indicate that parasites resistant to sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine or chloroquine are spatially clustered. This study explores longitudinal changes in spatial patterns to understand how resistant malaria may be spreading within the DRC, using samples from nation-wide population-representative surveys.

Methods

We selected 552 children with PCR-detectable Plasmodium falciparum infection and identified known variants in the pfdhps and pfcrt genes associated with resistance. We compared the proportion of mutant parasites in 2013 to those previously reported from adults in 2007, and identified risk factors for carrying a resistant allele using multivariate mixe

SUBMITTER: Deutsch-Feldman M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6805465 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature