Gold mining areas in Suriname: reservoirs of malaria resistance?

Abstract

Background

At present, malaria cases in Suriname occur predominantly in migrants and people living and/or working in areas with gold mining operations. A molecular survey was performed in Plasmodium falciparum isolates originating from persons from gold mining areas to assess the extent and role of mining areas as reservoirs of malaria resistance in Suriname.

Methods

The status of 14 putative resistance-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in the pfdhfr, pfcrt, pfmdr1, and pfATP6 genes was assessed for 28 samples from gold miners diagnosed with P. falciparum malaria using polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and the results were compared with earlier data from nonmining villagers.

Results

Isolates from miners showed a high degree of homogeneity, with a fixed pfdhfr Ile51/Asn108, pfmdr1 Phe184/Asp1042/Tyr1246, and pfcrt Thr76 mutant genotype, while an exclusively wild-type genotype was observed for pfmdr1 Asn86 and pfdhfr Ala16, Cys59, and Ile164, and for the pfATP6 positions Leu263/Ala623/Ser769. Small variations were observed for pfmdr1 S1034C. No statistically significant difference could be detected in allele frequencies between mining and nonmining villagers.

Conclusion

Despite the increased risk of malaria infection in individuals working/living in gold mining areas, we did not detect an increase in mutation frequency at the 14 analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms. Therefore, mining areas in Suriname cannot yet be considered as reservoirs for malaria resistance.

Keywords:

• Plasmodium falciparum
• gold mining
• mutation frequency
• Suriname

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Pan American Health Organization’s Amazon Network for the Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance in cooperation with the US Agency for International Development’s Amazon Malaria Initiative SU/LOA/0900001.001. We express our gratitude to J Kartowidjojo, M Grünberg, and J Faerber for laboratory assistance, to J Alger for providing control samples, and to R Ardjosentono and H Cairo for support with preparation of the map.

Author contributions

MRA conceived the study, participated in its design and coordination, and drafted the manuscript. MLB participated in the laboratory analysis and in preparation of the manuscript. SV participated in the design of the study and in revision of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final draft.

Disclosure

The authors report that they have no competing interests in this work. The views expressed herein are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Pan American Health Organization, the US Agency for International Development, or the Amazon Network for the Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance.