Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

ABSTRACT Artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum , the agent of severe malaria, is currently a major obstacle to malaria control in Southeast Asia. A gene named “ kelch13 ” has been associated with artemisinin resistance in P. falciparum . The orthologue of the kelch gene in P. vivax was identified and a small number of mutations were found in previous studies. The kelch orthologues in the other two human malaria parasites, P. malariae and P. ovale , have not yet been studied. Therefore, in this study, the orthologous kelch genes of P. malariae , P. ovale wallikeri , and P. ovale curtisi were isolated and analyzed for the first time. The homologies of the kelch genes of P. malariae and P. ovale were 84.8% and 82.7%, respectively, compared to the gene in P. falciparum . kelch polymorphisms were studied in 13 P. malariae and 5 P. ovale isolates from Thailand. There were 2 nonsynonymous mutations found in these samples. One mutation was P533L, which was found in 1 of 13 P. malariae isolates, and the other was K137R, found in 1 isolate of P. ovale wallikeri ( n = 4). This result needs to be considered in the context of widespread artemisinin used within the region; their functional consequences for artemisinin sensitivity in P. malariae and P. ovale will need to be elucidated.

Original publication

DOI

10.1128/aac.00138-16

Type

Journal

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

Publisher

American Society for Microbiology

Publication Date

07/2016

Volume

60

Pages

4055 - 4062