Molecular markers associated with drug resistance in PFMDR-1 gene of Plasmodium falciparum in Gombe Local Government Area, Gombe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria is a serious deadly disease in Nigeria, and for long prevention and treatment of the 
disease depended heavenly on different classes of synthetic drugs. However, Plasmodium 
falciparum has developed resistance to almost all the classes of the synthetic antima
larial drug in use, including the most recently recommended drugs (artemisinin-based 
combination therapies). The aim of this research was to identify and characterize molec
ular markers associated with drug resistance in pfmdr-1 genes of P. falciparum from 
Gombe Local Government Area (LGA). Two hundred study subjects were recruited for 
the research from 3 selected hospitals. Blood samples were collected using vein punc
ture technique and analyzed using Giemsa stain, rapid diagnostic test, and polymerase 
chain reaction. Zymo DNA extraction kit was used to extract the DNA samples, from which 
167 samples confirmed to be positive by microscopy. A NanoDrop spectrophotometer 
was used to determine the concentration and purity of the extracted DNA. Fifty seven 
true-positive samples with high DNA concentration and purity were selected and used for 
the molecular analysis. Nested polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the portion 
of the selected genes and the amplicons were sequenced for the actual determination of 
single nucleotide polymorphism in pfmdr-1 gene. Single point mutation was observed in 
four of the variants (N86Y, Y184F, N1042D, and D1246Y) and the highest prevalence (34, 
59.64%) was from the Y184F variant. Conclusively, some basic biomolecular makers of 
pfmdr-1 gene were reported from Gombe LGA. Further research should be carried out in 
the local government area using a large sample size and targeting some other candidate 
bio markers of the gene.