Genetic predisposition favors the acquisition of stable artemisinin resistance in malaria parasites

Dorothee Beez, Cecilia P. Sanchez, Wilfred D. Stein, Michael Lanzer*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

The emergence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria jeopardizes efforts to control this infectious disease. To identify factors contributing to reduced artemisinin susceptibility, we have employed a classical genetic approach by analyzing artemisinin responses in the F1 progeny of a genetic cross. Our data show that reduced artemisinin susceptibility is a multifactorial trait, with pfmdr1 and two additional loci (on chromosomes 12 and 13) contributing to it. We further show that the different artemisinin susceptibilities of the progeny strains affect their responses to selection with increasing concentrations of artemisinin. Stable, high-level in vitro artemisinin resistance rapidly arose in those parasites that were the least artemisinin susceptible among the F1 progeny, whereas progeny that were highly artemisinin susceptible did not acquire stable artemisinin resistance. These data suggest that genetic predisposition favors the acquisition of highlevel artemisinin resistance. In vitro-induced artemisinin resistance did not result in cross-resistance to artesunate or artemether, suggesting that resistance to one derivative does not necessarily render the entire drug class ineffective.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)50-55
Number of pages6
JournalAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
Volume55
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2011

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