STANDARDIZATION of MULTIPLEX PCR for the DETECTION of PVCRT-O, PVMDR1 RESISTANT GENES in PLASMODIUM VIVAX and PFCRT-O RESISTANT GENE in PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM

Abstract

Malaria is considered as a neglected tropical disease because of the therapeutic failures and lack of immunoprophylactic methods. Plasmodium species develop resistant genes by selective drug pressure, detection of such resistant parasitic strains by various molecular methods is significant in improving treatment modalities. Pvcrt-o, Pvmdr1 in Plasmodium vivax and Pfcrt-o in Plasmodium falciparum are the genes responsible for antimalarial resistance. In this study method to standardize multiplex PCR for the detection of these three resistant genes was done. From a total of 64 blood samples collected from the suspected cases of fever, 28 were positive for P.vivax, out of them20 were positive for Pvmdr1 gene and 18 were positive for Pvcrt-o gene,from the 10 samples positive for P.falciparum, 5 were positive for Pfcrt-o gene detected by PCR.Molecular diagnostic methods for the detection of resistant strains of Plasmodium species in malaria may help in better understanding of resistant pattern in various geographical areas in endemic countries.