Molecular Surveillance of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Mining Areas of the Roraima Indigenous Territory in Brazil

de Aguiar-Barros, Jacqueline; Granja, Fabiana; de Abreu-Fernandes, Rebecca; de Queiroz, Lucas Tavares; da Silva e Silva, Daniel; Citó, Arthur Camurça; Mocelin, Natália Ketrin Almeida-de-Oliveira; Daniel-Ribeiro, Cláudio Tadeu; Ferreira-da-Cruz, Maria de Fátima

doi:10.3390/ijerph21060679

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Surveillance of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Mining Areas of the Roraima Indigenous Territory in Brazil

by

Jacqueline de Aguiar-Barros

^1,2

,

Fabiana Granja

^2,3,4,

Rebecca de Abreu-Fernandes

^5,6,

Lucas Tavares de Queiroz

^5,6,

Daniel da Silva e Silva

³,

Arthur Camurça Citó

⁷

,

Natália Ketrin Almeida-de-Oliveira Mocelin

^5,6,

Cláudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro

^5,6 and

Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz

^5,6,*

¹

Malaria Control Center, Epidemiological Surveillance Department, General Health Surveillance Coordination, SESAU-RR, Roraima 69305-080, Brazil

²

Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Biotechnology–BIONORTE Network/Roraima Federal University (UFRR), Roraima 69310-000, Brazil

³

Biodiversity Research Centre, Roraima Federal University (UFRR), Roraima 69304-000, Brazil

⁴

Graduate Program in Natural Resources, Federal University of Roraima (UFRR), Roraima 69304-000, Brazil

⁵

Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil

⁶

Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal)/Reference Center for Malaria in the Extra-Amazon Region of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil

⁷

Research Support Center in Roraima (NAPRR) of the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Roraima 69301-150, Brazil

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(6), 679; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060679

Submission received: 15 April 2024 / Revised: 15 May 2024 / Accepted: 23 May 2024 / Published: 25 May 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Control of Frontier Malaria)

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Abstract

Multidrug- and artemisinin-resistant (ART-R) Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) parasites represent a challenge for malaria elimination worldwide. Molecular monitoring in the Kelch domain region (pfk13) gene allows tracking mutations in parasite resistance to artemisinin. The increase in illegal miners in the Roraima Yanomami indigenous land (YIL) could favor ART-R parasites. Thus, this study aimed to investigate ART-R in patients from illegal gold mining areas in the YIL of Roraima, Brazil. A questionnaire was conducted, and blood was collected from 48 patients diagnosed with P. falciparum or mixed malaria (Pf + P. vivax). The DNA was extracted and the pfk13 gene was amplified by PCR. The amplicons were subjected to DNA-Sanger-sequencing and the entire amplified fragment was analyzed. Among the patients, 96% (46) were from illegal mining areas of the YIL. All parasite samples carried the wild-type genotypes/ART-sensitive phenotypes. These data reinforce the continued use of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in Roraima, as well as the maintenance of systematic monitoring for early detection of parasite populations resistant to ART, mainly in regions with an intense flow of individuals from mining areas, such as the YIL. This is especially true when the achievement of falciparum malaria elimination in Brazil is planned and expected by 2030.

Keywords: Amazon; malaria; chemoresistance; pfk13; Guiana Shield

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MDPI and ACS Style

de Aguiar-Barros, J.; Granja, F.; de Abreu-Fernandes, R.; de Queiroz, L.T.; da Silva e Silva, D.; Citó, A.C.; Mocelin, N.K.A.-d.-O.; Daniel-Ribeiro, C.T.; Ferreira-da-Cruz, M.d.F. Molecular Surveillance of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Mining Areas of the Roraima Indigenous Territory in Brazil. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060679

AMA Style

de Aguiar-Barros J, Granja F, de Abreu-Fernandes R, de Queiroz LT, da Silva e Silva D, Citó AC, Mocelin NKA-d-O, Daniel-Ribeiro CT, Ferreira-da-Cruz MdF. Molecular Surveillance of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Mining Areas of the Roraima Indigenous Territory in Brazil. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(6):679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060679

Chicago/Turabian Style

de Aguiar-Barros, Jacqueline, Fabiana Granja, Rebecca de Abreu-Fernandes, Lucas Tavares de Queiroz, Daniel da Silva e Silva, Arthur Camurça Citó, Natália Ketrin Almeida-de-Oliveira Mocelin, Cláudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro, and Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz. 2024. "Molecular Surveillance of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Mining Areas of the Roraima Indigenous Territory in Brazil" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 6: 679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060679

APA Style

de Aguiar-Barros, J., Granja, F., de Abreu-Fernandes, R., de Queiroz, L. T., da Silva e Silva, D., Citó, A. C., Mocelin, N. K. A.-d.-O., Daniel-Ribeiro, C. T., & Ferreira-da-Cruz, M. d. F. (2024). Molecular Surveillance of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Mining Areas of the Roraima Indigenous Territory in Brazil. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(6), 679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060679

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Molecular Surveillance of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Mining Areas of the Roraima Indigenous Territory in Brazil

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