Molecular Detection of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium falciparum Chloroquine Resistance Transporter Gene from Microscopy-Confirmed Malaria in Febrile Patients at the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe Nigeria

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan parasites Plasmodium species, and usually transmitted through the bite of a female Anopheles species mosquito. Plasmodium falciparum is regarded as the most lethal of the Plasmodium species and most efforts are geared towards its control. Hitherto, with no available vaccines, an antimalarial drug such as Chloroquine was the main stay in the clinical management of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria. Chloroquine clinical efficacy was eroded with the emergence of P. falciparum bearing the mutant form of P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) gene. The aim of the study was to molecularly confirm through PCR, P. falciparum malaria and the presence of pfcrt gene from light microscopy-confirmed malaria patients at the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe Nigeria. 100 whole blood samples from light-microscopy confirmed P. falciparum malaria from patients of all age groups and genders were collected. A thick and thin smear of finger-prickd blood was made to detect P. falciparum malaria microscopically, EDTA preserved whole blood, DNA integrity, purity and concentration prior to nested-PCR to confirm P. falciparum and pfcrt gene. DNA with high integrity with an average DNA yield of 34.7 μg/mL and about 99% free from impurities able to interfere with PCR. Through nested PCR methods, the prevalence of P. falciparum malaria infection (52%) is nearly identical to non-P. falciparum malaria infections (48%) (p < 0.0025); though light microscopy detected P. falciparum malaria prevalence of 63%. 75% of P. falciparum strains were positive for P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) gene. All the P. falciparum strains from age groups 41 - 50, 51 - 60, 61 - 70 and 71 - 80 years were crt positive. The implication of the findings shows P. falciparum malaria prevalence is on the decline; there is the misdiagnosis of P. falciparum malaria with light-microscopy method and an increased chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum strains.