Research
Molecular surveillance of the antifolate-resistant mutation I164L in imported african isolates of Plasmodium falciparum in Europe: sentinel data from TropNetEurop
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* Corresponding author: Ole Wichmann ole.wichmann@charite.de
- † Equal contributors
1 Institute of Tropical Medicine. Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
2 Department of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
3 Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University of Munich, Germany
4 Institut für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Germany
5 Städtische Kliniken "St. Georg", 2. Klinik für Innere Medizin, Leipzig, Germany
6 Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Hamburg, Germany
7 Sektion Infektiologie und Klinische Immunologie, Universität Ulm, Ulm, Germany
8 Secció Medicina Tropical, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
9 Department of Clinical Microbiology and Parasitology, Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Madrid, Spain
10 Clinica di Malattie Infettive e Tropicali, Universitá di Bresci, Italy
11 Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland
12 Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Spital der Stadt Wien, 4. Medizinische Abteilung mit Infektions-und Tropenmedizin, Germany
13 Abteilung für spezifische Prophylaxe und Tropenmedizin am Institut für Pathophysiologie, University of Vienna and Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Spital der Stadt Wien, Vienna, Austria
14 Consulta de Medicina do Viajante, Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas, Hospital Universitário, Coimbra, Portugal
15 Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
16 Bradford Royal Infirmary, Infection and Tropical Medicine, Bradford, United Kingdom
17 Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital and Centre of Medical Parasitology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Malaria Journal 2003, 2:17 doi:10.1186/1475-2875-2-17
Published: 25 June 2003Abstract
Background
Malaria parasites that carry the DHFR-mutation I164L are not only highly resistant to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine but also to the new antimalarial drug chlorproguanil-dapsone. The spread of this mutation in Africa would result in a public health disaster since there is a lack of effective alternatives that are both affordable and safe. Up to now, this mutation has only been described in Asian and Latin-American countries. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of this mutation in African isolates of Plasmodium falciparum that have been imported into Europe through travellers.
Methods
TropNetEurop is a network for the surveillance of travel-associated diseases and seems to cover approximately 12% of all malaria cases imported into Europe. Within this network we screened 277 imported African isolates of P. falciparum with the help of PCR- and enzyme-digestion-methods for the antifolate-resistant mutation I164L.
Results
The I164L mutation was not detected in any of the isolates tested.
Discussion
Continuous molecular surveillance of mutations in P. falciparum, as it is practised within TropNetEurop, is an essential tool for the understanding and early detection of the spread of antimalarial drug resistance in Africa.