The impact of antimalarial resistance on the genetic structure of Plasmodium falciparum in the DRC

Robert Verity (), Ozkan Aydemir, Nicholas F. Brazeau, Oliver J. Watson, Nicholas J. Hathaway, Melchior Kashamuka Mwandagalirwa, Patrick W. Marsh, Kyaw Thwai, Travis Fulton, Madeline Denton, Andrew P. Morgan, Jonathan B. Parr, Patrick K. Tumwebaze, Melissa Conrad, Philip J. Rosenthal, Deus S. Ishengoma, Jeremiah Ngondi, Julie Gutman, Modest Mulenga, Douglas E. Norris, William J. Moss, Benedicta A. Mensah, James L. Myers-Hansen, Anita Ghansah, Antoinette K. Tshefu, Azra C. Ghani, Steven R. Meshnick, Jeffrey A. Bailey and Jonathan J. Juliano ()
Additional contact information
Robert Verity: Imperial College London
Ozkan Aydemir: Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
Nicholas F. Brazeau: University of North Carolina
Oliver J. Watson: Imperial College London
Nicholas J. Hathaway: University of Massachusetts
Melchior Kashamuka Mwandagalirwa: Hôpital Général Provincial de Référence de Kinshasa
Patrick W. Marsh: Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
Kyaw Thwai: University of North Carolina
Travis Fulton: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Madeline Denton: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Andrew P. Morgan: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jonathan B. Parr: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Patrick K. Tumwebaze: Infectious Disease Research Collaboration
Melissa Conrad: University of California- San Francisco
Philip J. Rosenthal: University of California- San Francisco
Deus S. Ishengoma: National Institute for Medical Research
Jeremiah Ngondi: RTI International
Julie Gutman: Malaria Branch, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control
Modest Mulenga: Tropical Disease Research Centre
Douglas E. Norris: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
William J. Moss: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Benedicta A. Mensah: University of Ghana
James L. Myers-Hansen: University of Ghana
Anita Ghansah: University of Ghana
Antoinette K. Tshefu: Hôpital Général Provincial de Référence de Kinshasa
Azra C. Ghani: Imperial College London
Steven R. Meshnick: University of North Carolina
Jeffrey A. Bailey: Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
Jonathan J. Juliano: University of North Carolina

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) harbors 11% of global malaria cases, yet little is known about the spatial and genetic structure of the parasite population in that country. We sequence 2537 Plasmodium falciparum infections, including a nationally representative population sample from DRC and samples from surrounding countries, using molecular inversion probes - a high-throughput genotyping tool. We identify an east-west divide in haplotypes known to confer resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Furthermore, we identify highly related parasites over large geographic distances, indicative of gene flow and migration. Our results are consistent with a background of isolation by distance combined with the effects of selection for antimalarial drug resistance. This study provides a high-resolution view of parasite genetic structure across a large country in Africa and provides a baseline to study how implementation programs may impact parasite populations.

Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-15779-8

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15779-8

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