Artemisinin - Resistant Plasmodium falciparum with High Survival Rates, Uganda, 2014–2016
Emerging Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.3201/eid2404.170141
- PMID
- 29553316
- PMCID
- PMC5875287
- OpenAlex
- W2791105224
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Because approximately 90% of malaria cases occur in Africa, the emergence of possibly artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum in Uganda represents a public health concern. The authors advocate large-scale surveillance to inform treatment outcomes and regional malaria control.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study assesses the emergence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Uganda during 2014–2016 using an ex vivo ring-stage survival assay.
Study design
Four cross-sectional surveys using an ex vivo ring-stage survival assay to assess artemisinin sensitivity of P. falciparum isolates, with population genetics analysis.
Population and setting
Plasmodium falciparum isolates (n=194) collected from patients in Gulu, Uganda, during 2014–2016.
Main findings
Four of 194 isolates exhibited high ring-stage survival rates (>10%) considered a proxy for the artemisinin-resistant phenotype. A PfKelch13 mutation (A675V) was observed in only one of these four isolates. Population genetics analysis suggested African origin of the possibly resistant strains.
Public-health relevance
Because approximately 90% of malaria cases occur in Africa, the emergence of possibly artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum in Uganda represents a public health concern. The authors advocate large-scale surveillance to inform treatment outcomes and regional malaria control.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata and requires the original paper for decision-grade interpretation. The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the study.
GIDS interpretation
The paper is indexed under the disease 'Malaria' and country 'Uganda' and would be discoverable through searches on artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Africa. It should not be interpreted as direct confirmation of a live surveillance signal without consulting the underlying surveillance data.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 6 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.