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Review
. 2015 Apr:1342:62-7.
doi: 10.1111/nyas.12766.

Antimalarial drug resistance in Africa: key lessons for the future

Shannon Takala-Harrison  1 , Miriam K Laufer
Affiliations
Review

Antimalarial drug resistance in Africa: key lessons for the future

Shannon Takala-Harrison et al. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Drug-resistant parasites repeatedly arise as a result of widespread use of antimalarial drugs and have contributed significantly to the failure to control and eradicate malaria throughout the world. In this review, we describe the spread of resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, two old drugs that are no longer used owing to high rates of resistance, and examine the effect of the removal of drug pressure on the survival of resistant parasites. Artemisinin-resistant malaria is now emerging in Southeast Asia in a unique and unexpected pattern. We will review the most recent genomic and clinical data to help predict the behavior of resistance to new antimalarial medications and inform strategies to prevent the spread of drug-resistant malaria in Africa in the future.

Keywords: Africa; artemisinin resistance; artemisinin-based combination therapy; drug resistance; malaria; molecular epidemiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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