Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
West Africa Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Sci Rep. 2022 May 12;12(1):7797. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-11790-9.
The molecular determinants of Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance are the single nucleotide polymorphisms in the parasite's kelch propeller domain, pfk13. Validated and candidate markers are under surveillance in malaria endemic countries using artemisinin-based combination therapy. However, pfk13 mutations which may confer parasite artemisinin resistance in Africa remains elusive. It has therefore become imperative to report all observed pfk13 gene polymorphisms in malaria therapeutic efficacy studies for functional characterization. We herein report all novel pfk13 mutations observed only in the Ghanaian parasite population. In all, 977 archived samples from children aged 12 years and below with uncomplicated malaria from 2007 to 2017 were used. PCR/Sanger sequencing analysis revealed 78% (763/977) of the samples analyzed were wild type (WT) for pfk13 gene. Of the 214 (22%) mutants, 78 were novel mutations observed only in Ghana. The novel SNPs include R404G, P413H, N458D/H/I, C473W/S, R529I, M579T/Y, C580R/V, D584L, N585H/I, Q661G/L. Some of the mutations were sites and ecological zones specific. There was low nucleotide diversity and purifying selection at the pfk13 locus in Ghanaian parasite population. With increasing drug pressure and its consequent parasite resistance, documenting these mutations as baseline data is crucial for future molecular surveillance of P. falciparum resistance to artemisinin in Ghana.
恶性疟原虫青蒿素耐药的分子决定因素是寄生虫 Kelch 螺旋桨结构域(pfk13)中的单核苷酸多态性。在疟疾流行国家,使用青蒿素为基础的联合疗法对经过验证和候选的标记物进行监测。然而,在非洲可能导致寄生虫对青蒿素产生耐药性的 pfk13 突变仍然难以捉摸。因此,在疟疾治疗效果研究中报告所有观察到的 pfk13 基因突变以进行功能特征分析变得至关重要。我们在此报告了仅在加纳寄生虫群体中观察到的所有新 pfk13 突变。总共使用了 2007 年至 2017 年间年龄在 12 岁及以下患有单纯性疟疾的 977 个存档样本。PCR/Sanger 测序分析显示,在所分析的 977 个样本中,有 78%(763/977)为 pfk13 基因野生型(WT)。在 214 个(22%)突变体中,有 78 个是仅在加纳观察到的新突变。新的 SNP 包括 R404G、P413H、N458D/H/I、C473W/S、R529I、M579T/Y、C580R/V、D584L、N585H/I、Q661G/L。有些突变是特定的位点和生态区。加纳寄生虫种群中 pfk13 基因座的核苷酸多样性和纯化选择较低。随着药物压力的增加及其随之而来的寄生虫耐药性,记录这些突变作为基线数据对于未来加纳恶性疟原虫对青蒿素耐药性的分子监测至关重要。