Monitoring artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum: comparison of parasite clearance time by microscopy and real-time PCR and evaluation of mutations in Pfatpase6 gene in Odisha state of India.

Antimalarial drug resistance including artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a major concern in combating malaria throughout the world. Delayed parasite clearance time (PCT) is indicative of emergence of artemisinin resistance. Herein, PCT has been monitored with the help of gold standard technique microscopy accompanied by a more sensitive real-time assay for academic purpose. After the administration of artemisinin based combination therapy, artesunate + sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (AS + SP), all the subjects were followed up to day 42 for monitoring the therapeutic efficacy of AS + SP in Bisra Community Health Centre (CHC), Sundergarh district in the state of Odisha in India. Further, representative samples were analyzed for L263E, E431K, A623E and S769N SNPs in Pfatpase6 gene and copy number polymorphisms in Pfmdr1 gene. Though all the samples were found parasite negative according to microscopy by the end of day 3 and attained adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) at the end of day 42, real-time PCR showed day 3 positivity in 12 of the total analyzed samples (n = 43). This was further validated by end-point diagnostic PCR and correlated with high initial parasite load. E431K mutation was observed in 2 of the 12 samples (16.7 %) while the controls (n = 18) were all wild. L263E, A623E and S769N were wild in all the analyzed samples (n = 30). Pfmdr1 copy number analysis showed no change in the said trait. Conclusively, real-time PCR could support microscopy for better monitoring of PCT and may provide as an additional but useful research tool for artemisinin resistance studies.