Influx of diverse, drug resistant and transmissible Plasmodium falciparum into a malaria-free setting in Qatar.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Successful control programs have impeded local malaria transmission in almost all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, a prodigious influx of imported malaria via migrant workers sustains the threat of local transmission. Here we examine the origin of imported malaria in Qatar, assess genetic diversity and the prevalence of drug resistance genes in imported Plasmodium falciparum, and finally, address the potential for the reintroduction of local transmission.

Methods

This study examined imported malaria cases reported in Qatar, between 2013 and 2016. We focused on P. falciparum infections and estimated both total parasite and gametocyte density, using qPCR and qRT-PCR

SUBMITTER: Al-Rumhi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7296620 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature