Researchers Identify Resistant Genetic Marker to Key Malaria Drug

A recent study looks at how the identification of a key genetic marker may play a role in finding out more about recent resistance in a malaria drug.

According to study authors, they discovered a new way to identify malaria-causing Pasmodium falciparum parasites that are resistant to artemisinin -a key drug for treating the health issue.

Researchers from the National Institue of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institutes of Health found that P. falciparum parasites with a mutant version of a gene called K13-propeller were more likely to survive exposure to artemision in a laboratory setting. They also found that in malaria patients treated with the drug, parasites marked by genetic mutation were eliminated more slowly.

Researchers found that the geographical distribution of this genetic marker could be tracked by to western Cambodia to the spread of resistance among malaria patients throughout the region over the past several years. The mutant version of K13-properller is associated with artemsinin resistance. Researchers hope that future studies can help to explore the cause of the mutation's resistance as well as explore whether this association extends to other regions of the world.

At this time, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 627,000 people died from malaria in 2012. 

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Nature.