PFCRT and DHFR-TS
Sequences for Monitoring Drug Resistance in Adzop� Area
of C�te d�Ivoire After the Withdrawal of Chloroquine and
Pyrimethamine
L Ouattara1, KB Bla1,
SB Assi2, W Yavo1,2 and AJ Djaman1,3*
1UFR
Biosciences et UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques &
Biologiques, Universit� de Cocody, BP V34 Abidjan,
2Institut Pierre Richet de Bouak� /Institut
National de Sant� Publique, BP V47 Abidjan, 3Institut
Pasteur de C�te d�Ivoire, 01 BP 490 Abidjan 01, C�te
d�Ivoire
*For correspondence:
E-mail:
djamanj@yahoo.fr
Tel:
+225-22 50 35 60
Received: 5
May 2010 Revised accepted: 11
September 2010
Tropical
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, December 2010;
9(6):
565-572
Abstract
Purpose:
Drug resistance is
probably the greatest challenge to most malaria-control
programmes. The goal of this study was to evaluate
polymorphisms in parasite resistance gene markers, pfcft
and dhfr, from falciparum malaria isolates collected in
Adzop� City, C�te d�Ivoire in
2007.
Methods:
Blood samples
were collected in filter paper from 72 children infected
with Plasmodium falciparum living in Adzop� area.
Plasmodium falciparum DNA was extracted and nested PCRs
were performed using specific primers of pfcrt and
dhfr-ts. During the study, chloroquine and
sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (which previously were the
first- and second-line treatments, respectively, for
malaria in
C�te d�Ivoire) were
not given to the enrolled children, having been
withdrawn in 2004.
Results:
The results revealed the presence of the mutant-type
pfcrt and dhfr-ts in 51 (62.2 %) and 29 (35.4 %)
samples, respectively. The mutant-type pfcrt alleles
consisted of four single mutations (Met74/Asn75/Thr76)
and 47 triple mutations (Ile74/Glu75/Thr76). However,
the frequency distribution of mutations in dhfr-ts was
35.4 % for dhfr-Asn108, 17 % for dhfr-Ile51 and 21 % for
dhfr-Arg59.
Conclusion:
The results of this study show high presence of
chloroquine (CQ) resistance markers while for
sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), a much lower prevalence
was detected for the markers under study. Chloroquine
remains an inadequate drug for malaria therapy in the
study region. Furthermore, in spite of the official
withdrawal of CQ and SP in favour of the arteminisin-based
combinations (ACTs), it appears the population of this
area continues to use the drugs via self-medication.
Keywords:
C�te d�Ivoire, Plasmodium falciparum, Malaria
resistance, Molecular markers,