Comparative analysis of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate-reductase gene sequences from different regions of India

Molecular surveillance of the drug resistance genes in parasite can be used for monitoring/surveillance of drug resistance in endemic malaria areas. Here we report the prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) gene in nucleotide sequence of Plasmodium falciparum from different regions in India. We found markedly prevalent mutants evident in P. falciparum infections N51I, C59R, 108N and I164L. Our results indicate that P. falciparum populations in the regions show an increase in the prevalence of polymorphisms, most likely reflecting different selective pressures found in humans and mosquitoes. Molecular surveillance can serve as a useful tool to monitor the prevalence/emergence of resistant genotypes within endemic populations and can serve for determining the efficacy of antimalarial drugs.