Transcript Zaydah Poster - Centre For Biotechnology & Bioinformatics

Artemisinin resistance Plasmodium falciparum
marker, K13, polymorphisms in Kenya’s coastal
region
Zaydah Rolande de Laurent
Supervisors: George Obiero 1 Isabella Oyier 1, 2
1
University of Nairobi, 2 KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi
Introduction
 Malaria remains a killer disease despite all the advancement to control it with
up to half a million deaths per year worldwide.
 Control measures such as bed nets, deployment of artemisinin combination
therapy (ACT) and unprecedented funding has led to a decline in malaria
incidences and prevalence in sub Saharan Africa and southeast Asia.
 The emergence of drug resistance to artemisinin and its derivatives poses a
2
major threat to malaria control and elimination.
 Resistance to artemisinin is exhibited as reduced parasite clearance
5
following treatment, usually parasite detection 3 days after treatment.
 Non-synonymous polymorphisms in the K13 gene are responsible for
artemisinin resistance with C580Y being the most predominant SNP reported
in Asia.
 In Africa, no predominant SNP has been reported however M476I from an in
vitro study has been shown to reduce parasite clearance following treatment
P. Falciparum 3D model of the K13-propeller domain
showing the six kelch blades numbered 1 to 6 from N to C
terminus (Rogers & Genton, 2014)
Objectives
 Determine temporal distribution of K13 gene in Kilifi county
 Define the mutations in the K13 gene in Kilifi county
 Compare the frequency of mutations in the K13 gene before and after introduction of ACT
Hypothesis
 There are no mutations in the K13 gene
Justification for the study
ACTs are our last line of treatment for uncomplicated
malaria. Treatment failures of formerly used drugs such as
Methods
Blood sample
DNA Extraction
Nested PCR
Electrophoresis
chloroquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine are proof that
there is need to continually check for efficacy of artemisinin
and it’s derivatives so as to ensure we are not caught of
guard but maintain vigilance in monitoring artemisinin
efficacy and any changes in the parasite’s genotype.
Capillary sequencing
Data analysis
CENTRE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS (CEBIB), UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI