Conclusive Evidence of Gene’s Role in Malaria Drug Resistance

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have proved conclusively that the malaria-causing parasite "Plasmodium falciparum" became resistant to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine through mutations in a single parasite gene. Chloroquine helped control or eliminate malaria throughout much of the world when it became widely used in the years following World War II. Chloroquine-resistant (CQR) "P. falciparum" emerged in Southeast Asia and South America in the 1950s and spread through much of Africa within two decades. Compared with chloroquine, drugs to treat CQR malaria are more expensive and cause more side effects while working less effectively. The gene finding has potentially important implications for malaria treatment and control.

Message posted by: Rashmi Nemade