Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31242921›Full record

ReviewMalaria journal2019

Genetic diversity and drug resistance surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum for malaria elimination: is there an ideal tool for resource-limited sub-Saharan Africa?

Tobias O Apinjoh, Amed Ouattara, Vincent P K Titanji, Abdoulaye Djimde, Alfred Amambua-Ngwa

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Malaria journal, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
13.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

44 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 107 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Mapping Plasmodium falciparum mutations in Africa: A critical review of emerging drug resistance and implications for malaria control.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2025
    Review
  5. Genetic Diversity ofTropical medicine and infectious disease · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Malaria: past, present, and future.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2025
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Health science reports · 2024
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Exploring the genetic progression of MDR1 inCurrent research in microbial sciences · 2024
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.

Tobias O ApinjohDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Amed OuattaraSchool of Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Baltimore, USA.
Vincent P K TitanjiFaculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Cameroon Christian University, Bali, Cameroon.
Abdoulaye DjimdeMalaria Research and Training Centre, University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Alfred Amambua-NgwaMedical Research Council Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, Banjul, The Gambia. angwa@mrc.gm.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4478-3601
MRC Unit the Gambia · GMUniversité des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako · MLUniversity of Buea · CMUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore · US

Funding

Developing Excellence in Leadership and Genetics Training for Malaria Elimination in sub-Saharan Africa (DELGEME) program PD00217MLMedical Research Council MC_EX_MR/K02440X/1Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The intensification of malaria control interventions has resulted in its global decline, but it remains a significant public health burden especially in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Knowledge on the parasite diversity, its transmission dynamics, mechanisms of adaptation to environmental and interventional pressures could help refine or develop new control and elimination strategies. Critical to this is the accurate assessment of the parasite's genetic diversity and monitoring of genetic markers of anti-malarial resistance across all susceptible populations. Such wide molecular surveillance will require selected tools and approaches from a variety of ever evolving advancements in technology and the changing epidemiology of malaria. The choice of an effective approach for specific endemic settings remains challenging, particularly for countries in sSA with limited access to advanced technologies. This article examines the current strategies and tools for Plasmodium falciparum genetic diversity typing and resistance monitoring and proposes how the different tools could be employed in resource-poor settings. Advanced approaches enabling targeted deep sequencing is valued as a sensitive method for assessing drug resistance and parasite diversity but remains out of the reach of most laboratories in sSA due to the high cost of development and maintenance. It is, however, feasible to equip a limited number of laboratories as Centres of Excellence in Africa (CEA), which will receive and process samples from a network of peripheral laboratories in the continent. Cheaper, sensitive and portable real-time PCR methods can be used in peripheral laboratories to pre-screen and select samples for targeted deep sequence or genome wide analyses at these CEAs.

Indexed as

Drug ResistanceGenetic VariationPlasmodium falciparumAfrica South of the SaharaAntimalarialsDisease EradicationHumansMalaria, FalciparumAntimalarialsDrug resistanceGenetic diversityMonitoringPlasmodium falciparum

Identifiers

PMID31242921
PMCPMC6595576
OpenAlexW2953552050

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.