Molecular Markers of Antimalarial Drug Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum Parasites from Dschang, Cameroon

Malaria remains a key component of the infectious disease burden across much of the globe with a particularly significant impact in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although antimalarial drugs have been widely available since the 1960s, the proliferation of antimalarial resistance has long hindered control efforts in endemic areas. The study presented here sought to identify Plasmodium falciparum drug-resistance markers associated with treatment failure in patients presenting with febrile malaria in Dschang, Cameroon. In particular, this study focused on genotyping the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) gene using a multiplex amplicon-based sequencing protocol. Amplicons spanning pfcrt codons 72 to 76 were first generated by PCR, then libraries were prepared using the iTru protocol and subsequently sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Sequencing data were analyzed using SeekDeep and variants were called based on the 3D7 reference genome. The results obtained indicated that chloroquine resistance has continued to decline since the drug was withdrawn from Cameroon in 2002, although some resistance remains. Additionally, no evidence was found indicating pfCRT-associated resistance to amodiaquine, a key artemisinin partner drug used in the country. The change in chloroquine resistance over time indicated by this study, alongside the apparent durability of amodiaquine as an effective treatment for P. falciparum, highlights the importance of ongoing molecular surveillance in the region in order to inform future malaria treatment policy.Bachelor of Scienc