Fernandes, NatérciaFigueiredo, PaulaRosário, Virgilio Estólio doCravo, Pedro2021-05-062021-05-062007-03-231475-2875PURE: 3631542PURE UUID: f6e2f75a-464a-4001-bdfe-605f11377704PubMed: 17378942PubMedCentral: PMC1950477ORCID: /0000-0003-1675-4504/work/73915969Scopus: 34247521013WOS: 000245990900001http://hdl.handle.net/10362/117237BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum is the predominant human malaria species in Mozambique and a lead cause of mortality among children and pregnant women nationwide. Sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (S/P) is used as first line antimalarial treatment as a partner drug in combination with artesunate. METHODS: A total of 92 P. falciparum-infected blood samples, from children with uncomplicated malaria attending the Centro de Saude de Bagamoyo in the Province of Maputo-Mozambique, were screened for S/P resistance-conferring mutations in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes using a nested mutation-specific polymerase chain reaction and restriction digestion (PCR-RFLP). The panel of genetic polymorphisms analysed included the pfdhfr 164L mutation, previously reported to be absent or rare in Africa. RESULTS: The frequency of the S/P resistance-associated pfdhfr triple mutants (51I/59R/108N) and of pfdhfr/pfdhps quintuple mutants (51I/59R/108N + 437G/540E) was 93% and 47%, respectively. However, no pfdhfr 164L mutants were detected. CONCLUSION: The observation that a considerably high percentage of P. falciparum parasites contained S/P resistance-associated mutations raises concerns about the validity of this drug as first-choice treatment in Mozambique. On the other hand, no pfdhfr 164L mutant was disclosed, corroborating the view that that this allele is still rare in Africa.4252511engAdolescentAnimalsAntimalarialsArtemisininsChildChild, PreschoolCodonDihydropteroate SynthaseDrug CombinationsDrug Resistance, MultipleFemaleHumansInfantMalaria, FalciparumMaleMozambiqueMutationPlasmodium falciparumPyrimethamineSesquiterpenesSulfadoxineTetrahydrofolate DehydrogenaseJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tGeneticsParasitologySDG 3 - Good Health and Well-beingjournal article10.1186/1475-2875-6-35https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2875-6-35