TY  - EJOU
AU  - Diouf, D. Marie Pierre
AU  - Oboh, O. Mary Aigbiremo
AU  - Manga, M. Isaac Akhénaton
AU  - Kande, K. Safiétou
AU  - Lo, L. Aminata Colle
AU  - Sall, S. Fatimata Bintou
AU  - Seck, S. Amadou
AU  - Faye, F. Babacar
AU  - Merle, M. Corinne Simone
AU  - Amambua-Ngwa, A. Alfred
AU  - Miligan, M. Paul
AU  - Ndiaye, N. Jean-Louis Abdourahim
TI  - Monitoring Plasmodium falciparum Drug Resistance Markers in Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Senegal
T2  - African Journal of Parasitology, Mycology and Entomology

PY  - 2024
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
SN  - 1987-1473

AB  - Background: Malaria control in Senegal relies on antimalarial drugs like sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP) for treatment and chemoprevention. Monitoring drug resistance markers is vital to ensure these interventions’ effectiveness. This study assessed the prevalence of SP resistance markers among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Senegal in 2019. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted during the high-transmission period of 2019 among pregnant women in low- and high-transmission areas. After obtaining consent, three dry blood spots on Whatman paper were collected. Samples were analyzed by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) to detect the Plasmodium falciparum VarATS gene. Positive samples were genotyped by High-Resolution Melting for mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase and dihydropteroate synthase genes. Results: Six hundred samples positive for P. falciparum were analyzed. The population was predominantly young and resided in high-transmission areas. Key resistance mutations were detected at the following rates: PfdhfrII164L (11.7%), PfdhpsS436A (14.8%), PfdhpsA437G (19.0%), PfdhpsA581G (15.2%) and PfdhpsA613S (15.5%). The PfdhpsK540E mutation was not detected. The prevalence of these mutations was significantly higher in high-transmission areas. No significant differences in resistance markers were observed based on SP intake or gravidity. Conclusions: The low frequencies of SP resistance markers and the absence of the Pfdhps K540E mutation suggest that SP remains effective for malaria chemoprevention in Senegal. However, regular surveillance is crucial to monitor and contain any potential resistance of P. falciparum to SP and to track the evolution and spread of resistant parasites within malaria control areas. Surveys in antenatal clinics could be a good strategy for monitoring at low cost the emergence of resistance to SP.
KW  - malaria
KW  - sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine
KW  - resistance markers
KW  - pregnant women
KW  - Senegal
DO  - 10.35995/ajpme02020013