Last Updated: 21/01/2025

Molecular surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to rapid diagnostic test and antimalarial drugs in Chad

Objectives

1. Determine the prevalence of P. falciparum among symptomatic malaria patients attending two public health centres in Southern Chad.
2. Evaluate the performance of HRP2-based RDTs in P. falciparum detection and determine the level of false-negative RDTs due to HRP2 deletion.
3. Determine the frequency of common SNPs of drug resistance to artemisinin and partner drugs.

Principal Institution

Centre for Infection Biology and Tropical Health (CIBITH), Cameroon

Principal Investigators / Focal Persons

Francis Nkemngo

Rationale and Abstract

Malaria burden in Chad has steadily increased since 2015 despite the scaling-up of control interventions including artemisinin combination therapy (ACTs) and rapid diagnostic test (RDTs). To investigate the reasons underlying the increase in malaria cases and deaths, this project is integrating epidemiology with genomics by quantifying the parasite prevalence and employing sequencing techniques to identify changes and key mutations in the genes involved in RDT detection and drug resistance respectively. Evidence-based data generated from this project will inform decision-making by control programs to reduce the malaria burden in the country.

External reference

ISID project details

Thematic Categories

Diagnostics
Drug Resistance
Drug-based Strategies
Epidemiology
Genetics and Genomics

Date

Jan 2024 — Jan 2025

Total Project Funding

$7,500

Funding Details

Gates Foundation (GF), United States

International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), United States

The ISID/BMGF Research Capacity Building Grant