Assessment of Malaria Infection Prevalence, Parasite Genetic Diversity, and Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum Resistance Markers During Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Children Living in Saponé, Burkina Faso
1 Biomedical and Public Health Department, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Centre National de 03, BP 7047 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso; (I.S.); (O.O.); (A.A.Z.); (R.I.); (G.Y.N.T.); (D.O.A.Z.); (J.N.Y.); (D.Z.)
2 Research Department, Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme (CNRFP), Institut National de Santé Publique (INSP), BP 10278 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; (S.S.); (N.O.); (F.C.A.K.)
3 Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et de Génétique (LABIOGENE), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; (F.W.D.); (J.S.)
4 Laboratoire d’Entomologie Fondamentale et Appliquée (LEFA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; (A.A.M.); (A.B.)
5 Direction Scientifique, Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso;
6 Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (UFR/SDS), Université Joseph Ki-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; (N.O.); (S.S.); (A.Z.)
7 Unité de Recherche Clinique de Nanoro (URCN), Nanoro, Burkina Faso
8 Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Yalgado Ouedraogo (CHU-YO), Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso;
9 Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LABIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso;
10 Institut International des Sciences et Technologie (IISTech), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
11 Laboratoire de Biologie et d Ecologie Animale (LBEA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
12 Centre de Recherche Biomoléculaire Pietro Annigoni (CERBA), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 15 Jun 2025 / Accepted: 12 Mar 2026 / Published: 8 May 2026
Abstract
Background: Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), consisting of a combination of sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) and amodiaquine (AQ), aims to reduce morbidity and mortality, in children under five years of age. The present study aims to assess Plasmodium falciparum’s level of genetic diversity and the dynamics of parasite-resistance-associated mutations during SMC implementation in children living in Saponé, Burkina Faso. Methods: The study included 222 children aged 3 to 59 months under SMC in the Saponé health district. Parasite DNA was extracted from the blood spots using the QIAamp® DNA Blood Mini Kit, and genetic diversity was determined by nested PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) of P. falciparum msp-1 and msp-2 genes, while molecular markers of resistance were analyzed based on PCR/RFLPs. Results: The molecular results showed that the prevalence of malaria infection by PCR averaged 17.43% ± 0.30 during the SMC. The study revealed a high genetic diversity of the parasite during SMC. The value of the complexity of the msp-1 and msp-2 genes decreased during the SMC rounds, reflecting a reduction in malaria transmission during this strategy. The prevalence of single-nucleotide polymorphism mutations associated with SP+AQ (sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine + amodiaquine) resistance was very low or nil during our study. However, the prevalence of the Pfdhfr59 mutation was very high, standing at an average of 91. Conclusions: The prevalence of mutations in genes associated with parasite resistance to SP+AQ was low in the study population during SMC. Therefore, the sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine drug combination used in SMC still remains appropriate for the treatment of malaria in children under five years old in Burkina Faso.
Keywords: Malaria; ; polymorphism; SMC; resistance markers; Saponé; Burkina Faso
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CITE
Soulama, I.; Nikiema, S.; Ouedraogo, O.; Sombié, S.; Ouedraogo, N.; Zouré, A.A.; Sermé, S.S.; Ouaré, N.; Sawadogo, S.; Sawadogo, H.; Tchekounou, C.; Ily, R.; Tibiri, G.Y.N.; Zouré, D.O.A.; Yanogo, J.N.; Kabore, F.C.A.; Zongo, D.; Moungou, A.A.; Zida, A.; Badolo, A.; Djigma, F.W.; Simpore, J. Assessment of Malaria Infection Prevalence, Parasite Genetic Diversity, and Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum Resistance Markers During Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Children Living in Saponé, Burkina Faso. AJPME 2026, 3, 13.
Soulama I, Nikiema S, Ouedraogo O, Sombié S, Ouedraogo N, Zouré AA, Sermé SS, Ouaré N, Sawadogo S, Sawadogo H, Tchekounou C, Ily R, Tibiri GYN, Zouré DOA, Yanogo JN, Kabore FCA, Zongo D, Moungou AA, Zida A, Badolo A, Djigma FW, Simpore J. Assessment of Malaria Infection Prevalence, Parasite Genetic Diversity, and Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum Resistance Markers During Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Children Living in Saponé, Burkina Faso. AJPME. 2026; 3(2):13.
Soulama, Issiaka; Nikiema, Séni; Ouedraogo, Oumarou; Sombié, Salif; Ouedraogo, Nicolas; Zouré, Abdou A.; Sermé, Samuel S.; Ouaré, Nathalie; Sawadogo, Salam; Sawadogo, Haffsatou; Tchekounou, Chanolle; Ily, Raïssa; Tibiri, Guillène Y. N.; Zouré, Djamila O. A.; Yanogo, Julien N.; Kabore, Farida C. A.; Zongo, Dramane; Moungou, Arsène A.; Zida, Adama; Badolo, Athanase; Djigma, Florencia W.; Simpore, Jacques. 2026. "Assessment of Malaria Infection Prevalence, Parasite Genetic Diversity, and Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum Resistance Markers During Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention in Children Living in Saponé, Burkina Faso." AJPME 3, no. 2: 13.
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