gms | German Medical Science

12th Malaria Meeting

Malaria Group / Section Antiparasitic Chemotherapy of the Paul-Ehrlich-Society (PEG e. V.) in cooperation with the German Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health (DTG e. V.) and the German Society for Parasitology (DGP e. V.)

14.11. - 15.11.2014, Bonn

K13-propeller polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum parasites from the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Meeting Abstract

  • Oumou Maiga-Ascofaré - Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
  • Benedict Hogan - Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
  • Nimako Sarpong - Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medecine, Ghana
  • Daniel Eibach - Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
  • Ellis Owusu-Dabo - Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medecine, Ghana
  • Jürgen May - Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany

12th Malaria Meeting. Bonn, 14.-15.11.2014. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2014. Doc14mal17

doi: 10.3205/14mal17, urn:nbn:de:0183-14mal174

Published: December 17, 2014

© 2014 Maiga-Ascofaré et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

The emergence of Artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum parasites documented in Southeast Asia (SEA) threatens recent gains in malaria control worldwide and represents a major drawback in malaria elimination. Mutations in the P. falciparum K13-propeller domain (PF3D7_1343700; “K13-propeller”) have recently been shown to be important determinants of Artemisinin resistance in SEA, particularly the C580Y SNP.

In most of African endemic countries, Artemisinin base combination treatments are the first line therapy for uncomplicated and severe malaria cases. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor the emergence and/or the spread of Artemisinin resistance throughout Africa using surveillance tools like molecular markers to inform malaria control programs.

This study investigated the polymorphism of the K13-propeller in parasites from the Ashanti Region of Ghana. In 330 P. falciparum samples, collected from 2012 to 2014, the 'K13-propeller was sequenced.

None of the K13-propeller mutations previously reported in SEA were found. However, one non-synonymous SNP (A578S) was detected in low frequency, which may be of impact because of its location on the K13-gene. Furthermore, this allele was reported from several African countries. More investigations are needed to study the origin of this mutation and its role in Artemisinin resistance.