Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in Chile

A key challenge in the global effort to combat malaria is the emergence of drug resistance. Malaria-free countries must also address issues such as limited access to antimalarial drugs and treatment failures caused by drug resistance. Chile, as a malaria-free country, faces the risk of malaria being...

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Main Authors: Alan Oyarce, Lizbeth Huaccha, Esteban M. Cordero, Bárbara Parra, Jorge Fernández, Mario E. Soto-Marchant, Natalia T. Santis-Alay, María Isabel Jercic
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Malaria
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmala.2024.1516733/full
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author Alan Oyarce
Lizbeth Huaccha
Esteban M. Cordero
Bárbara Parra
Jorge Fernández
Mario E. Soto-Marchant
Natalia T. Santis-Alay
María Isabel Jercic
author_facet Alan Oyarce
Lizbeth Huaccha
Esteban M. Cordero
Bárbara Parra
Jorge Fernández
Mario E. Soto-Marchant
Natalia T. Santis-Alay
María Isabel Jercic
author_sort Alan Oyarce
collection DOAJ
description A key challenge in the global effort to combat malaria is the emergence of drug resistance. Malaria-free countries must also address issues such as limited access to antimalarial drugs and treatment failures caused by drug resistance. Chile, as a malaria-free country, faces the risk of malaria being reintroduced due to the presence of the malaria vector in its continental territory. This study aims to analyze the genetic profile associated with antimalarial drug resistance in the pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 genes. A total of ninety blood samples from 55 individuals who had been diagnosed with malaria in Chile between 2019 and 2021 were subjected to mutational analysis. The parasites target genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) out of total DNA extracted from patient blood samples and the amplicons submitted to DNA sequencing. All the genes analyzed had at least one mutation. In the pfdhfr gene, three mutations were observed (S108N/N51I/C59R). In the pfcytb gene, the Y268C mutation, found in post-treatment samples, was associated with treatment failure. In the pvmrp1 gene, five distinct mutations were identified. Of these, the Y1393D (100%) and V1478I (95.2%) were the most common. Our findings indicate that both P. falciparum and P. vivax samples from travelers and migrants in Chile carry mutations in genes linked to malaria resistance. The circulation of parasites with potential drug resistance in non-endemic countries further complicates the challenge of ensuring adequate treatment. It is crucial to continue genetic surveillance and expand the search for new resistance markers for Plasmodium species.
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spelling doaj-art-583eac8482bf4793998cb8a81b3b5ee72025-01-14T06:10:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Malaria2813-73962025-01-01210.3389/fmala.2024.15167331516733Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in ChileAlan Oyarce0Lizbeth Huaccha1Esteban M. Cordero2Bárbara Parra3Jorge Fernández4Mario E. Soto-Marchant5Natalia T. Santis-Alay6María Isabel Jercic7Departamento Laboratorio Biomédico Nacional y de Referencia, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento Laboratorio Biomédico Nacional y de Referencia, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento Laboratorio Biomédico Nacional y de Referencia, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento Laboratorio Biomédico Nacional y de Referencia, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento Laboratorio Biomédico Nacional y de Referencia, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento Agencia Nacional de Dispositivos Médicos, Innovación y Desarrollo, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento Laboratorio Biomédico Nacional y de Referencia, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, ChileA key challenge in the global effort to combat malaria is the emergence of drug resistance. Malaria-free countries must also address issues such as limited access to antimalarial drugs and treatment failures caused by drug resistance. Chile, as a malaria-free country, faces the risk of malaria being reintroduced due to the presence of the malaria vector in its continental territory. This study aims to analyze the genetic profile associated with antimalarial drug resistance in the pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 genes. A total of ninety blood samples from 55 individuals who had been diagnosed with malaria in Chile between 2019 and 2021 were subjected to mutational analysis. The parasites target genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) out of total DNA extracted from patient blood samples and the amplicons submitted to DNA sequencing. All the genes analyzed had at least one mutation. In the pfdhfr gene, three mutations were observed (S108N/N51I/C59R). In the pfcytb gene, the Y268C mutation, found in post-treatment samples, was associated with treatment failure. In the pvmrp1 gene, five distinct mutations were identified. Of these, the Y1393D (100%) and V1478I (95.2%) were the most common. Our findings indicate that both P. falciparum and P. vivax samples from travelers and migrants in Chile carry mutations in genes linked to malaria resistance. The circulation of parasites with potential drug resistance in non-endemic countries further complicates the challenge of ensuring adequate treatment. It is crucial to continue genetic surveillance and expand the search for new resistance markers for Plasmodium species.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmala.2024.1516733/fullmalariaPlasmodium falciparumPlasmodium vivaxpfcytbpfdhfrpvmrp1
spellingShingle Alan Oyarce
Lizbeth Huaccha
Esteban M. Cordero
Bárbara Parra
Jorge Fernández
Mario E. Soto-Marchant
Natalia T. Santis-Alay
María Isabel Jercic
Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in Chile
Frontiers in Malaria
malaria
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium vivax
pfcytb
pfdhfr
pvmrp1
title Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in Chile
title_full Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in Chile
title_fullStr Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in Chile
title_full_unstemmed Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in Chile
title_short Molecular identification of pfcytb, pfdhfr, and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in Chile
title_sort molecular identification of pfcytb pfdhfr and pvmrp1 mutations in imported malaria cases in chile
topic malaria
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium vivax
pfcytb
pfdhfr
pvmrp1
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmala.2024.1516733/full
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