Title
pfcrt polymorphism and the spread of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum populations across the Amazon Basin
Date Issued
15 July 2004
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Vieira P.P.
Ferreira M.U.
Alecrim M.D.G.
Alecrim W.D.
Da Silva L.H.P.
Joy D.A.
Mu J.
Su X.Z.
Zalis M.G.
Laboratorio Referencial de Loreto
Publisher(s)
University of Chicago Press
Abstract
The widespread occurrence of drug-resistant malaria parasites in South America presents a formidable obstacle to disease control in this region. To characterize parasite populations and the chloroquine-resistance profile of Plasmodium falciparum in the Amazon Basin, we analyzed a DNA segment of the pfcrt gene, spanning codons 72-76, and genotyped 15 microsatellite (MS) markers in 98 isolates from 6 areas of Brazil, Peru, and Colombia where malaria is endemic. The K76T mutation, which is critical for chloroquine resistance, was found in all isolates. Five pfcrt haplotypes (S[tct]MNT, S[agt]MNT, CMNT, CMET, and CIET) were observed, including 1 previously found in Asian/African isolates. MS genotyping showed relatively homogeneous genetic backgrounds among the isolates, with an average of 3.8 alleles per marker. Isolates with identical 15-loci MS haplotypes were found in different locations, suggesting relatively free gene flow across the Amazon Basin. Allopatric isolates carrying SMNT and CMNT haplotypes have similar genetic backgrounds, although parasites carrying the CIET haplotype have some exclusive MS alleles, suggesting that parasites with CIET alleles were likely to have been introduced into Brazil from Asia or Africa. This study provides the first evidence of the Asian pfcrt allele in Brazil and a detailed analysis of P. falciparum populations, with respect to pfcrt haplotypes, in the Amazon Basin.
Start page
417
End page
424
Volume
190
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Epidemiología Parasitología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-3242671257
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Infectious Diseases
ISSN of the container
0022-1899
Sponsor(s)
1Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão, and 2Departamento de Doenc¸as Infecto-Parasitárias, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho/UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 3Gerência de Malária, Fundac¸ão de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas, and 4Centro Universitátio Nilton Lins, Manaus, 5Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, and 6Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina Tropical, Porto Velho Rondônia, Brazil; 7Laboratorio Referencial de Loreto, Iquitos, Peru; 8Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus