Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination

Molecular studies on drug resistant malaria in India

International Conference & Exhibition on Vaccines & Vaccination

22-24 Nov 2011 Philadelphia Airport Marriott, USA

Y.D. Sharma

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Vaccines Vaccin

Abstract:

Malaria remains uncontrolled to-date despite immense eff orts being made to contain the disease. Malaria situation in India is unique as the country has regions with diff erent epidemiological conditions i.e. hyper endemic, mesoendemic and low endemic regions where malaria vector may vary from region to region. Similarly, the prevalence of parasite species as well as the level of drug resistance also varies from region to region (1-3). Th is warrants for the situation where malaria control strategies will be region specifi c. We have been studying molecular epidemiology of drug resistant malaria in India vertically and horizontally (1-11). Th ese studies using molecular tools have revealed that the antimalarial drug resistance varies from region to region and there is a temporal increase in the level of resistance in India (4-7). For example, chloroquine and antifolate drugs are still eff ective in Northern India which is a non-endemic region for malaria. However, these drugs are ineff ective in Northeastern region which are hyper endemic regions for malaria. We have also observed diff erent fi xation rates of the mutations in the marker genes associated with drug resistance in the parasite population of these diff erent regions (12,13). Due to diff erential drug usage, aft er tsunami in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, there was a selection of the parasite population with a novel mutation in the antifolate drug resistance marker gene (9). Furthermore, our data clearly indicates the prevalence of parasite population with high antifolate drug resistance associated mutations in India but the drug policy of the country continued to prescribe the combination therapy where Artesunate is combined with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Th is ACT usage will soon lead to the emergence of the resistant parasite popu lation resulting in the treatment failures