The Question
How can new
developments in evolutionary genetics and population biology contribute to the
understanding the development of anti-malarial drug resistance?
What We Found
Recent
advances have improved our understanding of the dynamics of resistance in P.
falciparum, but models also must evolve to consider the parasite population
structure among other demographic processes.
Why It Matters
Understanding
the mechanisms of drug resistance contributes to efforts to preserve
life-saving antimalarials.
Abstract
The evolution of resistance in Plasmodium falciparum against safe and affordable drugs such as chloroquine (CQ) and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is a major global health threat. Investigating the dynamics of resistance against these antimalarial drugs will lead to approaches for addressing the problem of resistance in malarial parasites that are solidly based in evolutionary genetics and population biology. In this article, we discuss current developments in population biology modeling and evolutionary genetics. Despite great advancements achieved in the past decade, understanding the complex dynamics of mutations conferring drug resistance in P. falciparum requires approaches that consider the parasite population structure among other demographic processes.
Keywords
malaria ecology
