Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,194,197 members, 7,953,720 topics. Date: Friday, 20 September 2024 at 12:52 AM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Health / Malaria Resistance Again? Even With Amatem Or Coartem? God Save Us From Malaria (2073 Views)
Best Way To Treat Mosquito And Be Free From Malaria / What Drug Can A Pregnant Woman Feeling Malaria Take ?? / Why Do We Keep Suffering From Malaria? (2) (3) (4)
(1) (Reply)
Malaria Resistance Again? Even With Amatem Or Coartem? God Save Us From Malaria by johnjames2009: 12:50am On Dec 20, 2013 |
An international team has found a genetic marker for the malaria-causing parasites that are resistant to artemisinin, an important drug for treating the mosquito-borne disease. Among the researchers, who report their findings in a recent online issue of Nature , is a team from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institutes of Health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 627,000 people died of malaria in 2012. Artemisinin, combined with other drugs, is an important first line of defense against malaria. However, in recent years, development of artemisinin resistance in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in southeast Asia poses a real threat to global malaria control and elimination. Thus, researchers are racing to find ways to keep the drug's effectiveness. One important factor in the race is keeping track of the spread of artemisinin resistance. Mutant K 13- propeller gene For their study, the team sequenced the genetic information of a lab-generated strain of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum , and also of two natural strains found in the wild in Cambodia - one drug- resistant and the other not. By comparing the genetic information from these three strains, they hoped to pinpoint the genetic marker of drug resistance. And so they did. They found that P. falciparum carrying a mutant version of the K13-propeller gene was more likely to survive exposure to artemisinin in the lab. Plus they found, in malaria patients treated with artemisinin, parasites carrying this particular genetic mutation took longer to eliminate. And when they analyzed the geographical distribution of the K13-propeller mutated gene in parasites in western Cambodia, they found it matched the distribution of resistance among malaria patients in the same regions. Taking these results together, the team concludes that the mutant K13-propeller gene is closely tied to artemisinin resistance and is likely to be a good molecular marker for it. They say further research is now needed to find out how this mutation causes resistance and the extent to which it affects other geographical areas. In another study reported earlier this year in the The Lancet Infectious Diseases , another group of scientists describe how they developed a rapid, simple way of testing for artemisinin resistance in a lethal form of malaria. Written by Catharine Paddock PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without the permission of Me |
Re: Malaria Resistance Again? Even With Amatem Or Coartem? God Save Us From Malaria by uboma(m): 12:55am On Dec 20, 2013 |
Coartem has lost its efficacy. P-alaxin is now a better substitute. However visiting a qualified doctor and running a malaria test still remains the best option to consider when ill instead of self-medication. @ op, nice piece of information. |
Re: Malaria Resistance Again? Even With Amatem Or Coartem? God Save Us From Malaria by adeoladrg(m): 9:52pm On Dec 20, 2013 |
It's still an artemisinin derived drugs. There are other malaria drugs. Nigerians av this issue with drugs, they overuse a drug and it becomes resistant. smh |
(1) (Reply)
Ten Types Of People You'd Meet In A Hospital' Waiting Room. / Pls Where Can I Get A Contact Lens In Lagos And The Price / South Africa To Mark HIV Positive People Near Their Private PARTS!
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 16 |