The Emergence and Spread of Antimalarial Drug Resistance based on Molecular Markers
Open Access
Author:
Vo, Sarah
Area of Honors:
Biology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Maciej F Boni, Thesis Supervisor Richard W Ordway, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
malaria Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance
Abstract:
Malaria, which is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, causes an enormous disease burden in regions of Africa and Southeast Asia. Monotherapy drug treatment was used in the 20th century to treat malaria, but malaria quickly generated resistance to this treatment approach. Malaria mortality and morbidity has been significantly reduced since 2000 due to a different treatment, artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). But drug resistance to ACTs started to appear in 2008, causing scientists to employ various methods to prevent drug resistance from emerging and spreading. Analyzing parasite molecular markers associated with drug resistance play a major part in determining the best antimalarial drug or therapy for a region. Countries will change their national drug treatment policy based on drug efficacy studies and molecular marker frequency. Here, I analyze how seven molecular markers’ frequencies have changed from 1995 to 2020 in six malaria endemic countries. The molecular marker frequencies are then compared to national treatment policy to see if frequencies reflect the policy change.
