{"id":84250,"date":"2015-01-21T08:12:47","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T08:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=84250"},"modified":"2015-01-21T08:12:47","modified_gmt":"2015-01-21T08:12:47","slug":"malaria-resistance-genetics-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/01\/malaria-resistance-genetics-revealed\/","title":{"rendered":"Malaria resistance genetics revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"
The genetics underpinning resistance to a frontline malaria drug, artemisinin, have been revealed, scientists say.<\/p>\n
In South East Asia, malaria parasites have developed tolerance to the treatment, and there are fears that this will spread.<\/p>\n
Now, in the largest genetic study to date, scientists have identified mutations in the parasite genome that are linked to resistance.<\/p>\n
The study is published in Nature Genetics.<\/p>\n
The researchers say the findings will help them to identify areas where artemisinin resistance could spread.<\/p>\n
Lead author Dr Olivo Miotto from the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Research Unit (MORU), in Thailand, said: “Artemisinin is the best drug we have had for a very long time, and we want to continue this success story.<\/p>\n
“And for that its effectiveness has to be protected and sustained.”<\/p>\n
When the first malaria drug, chloroquine, was developed, researchers thought that the disease would be eradicated within years.<\/p>\n
But the malaria parasite has proved far tougher than they ever imagined. Drug after drug has been rendered useless as the parasite has evolved to evade treatment.<\/p>\n
Mysteriously, each time resistance has emerged, it has started in the same place – on the Cambodia-Thai border – before spreading across Asia and into Africa.<\/p>\n
Now this appears to be happening again with artemisinin, a drug that has transformed malaria treatment.<\/p>\n
Cases have been confirmed in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar, also known as Burma.<\/p>\n