Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39929914›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Advancing artemisinin resistance monitoring using a high sensitivity ddPCR assay for Pfkelch13 mutation detection in Asia.

Suttipat Srisutham, Aungkana Saejeng, Nardlada Khantikul, Rungniran Sugaram, Raweewan Sangsri, Arjen M Dondorp, Nicholas P J Day, Mallika Imwong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

8 authors.

Suttipat SrisuthamDepartment of Clinical Microscopy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Aungkana SaejengDivision of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Nardlada KhantikulDivision of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Rungniran SugaramDivision of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Raweewan SangsriDepartment of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Arjen M DondorpMahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Nicholas P J DayMahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Mallika ImwongDepartment of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. mallika.imw@mahidol.ac.th.

Funding

Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 106698/B/14/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The spread of Pfkelch13 mutations in Southeast Asia threatens the effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for malaria. Previous studies revealed a high prevalence of key mutations, including C580Y, P574L, and R561H, emphasizing the need for the surveillance to combat drug resistance. This study, we developed a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay for the rapid screening of common mutations including P441L, Y493H, P527H, G538V, R539T, I543T, R561H, P574L, C580Y, and A675V. The assay was designed to detect minor populations of mutant strain within multiple infection, offering high sensitivity and specificity using artificial mixtures of mutant and wild-type alleles. Field samples collected in Thailand during 2015-2020 and in 2023 (N = 130) were also analyzed to validate the assay in a real-world setting. The ddPCR assay demonstrated exceptional performance, with 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity. The R539T, R561H, and C580Y mutations were detected in clinical samples collected from several study sites in Thailand. Notably, the R561H mutation was detected in 100% of the P. falciparum isolates from Mae Hong Son, Thailand in 2023, underscoring the assay's utility in identifying critical mutations associated with drug resistance. Moreover, ddPCR can detect multiple parasite populations in clinical samples and can be used to analyze the ratios of wild-type and mutant alleles. These results validate the assay's ability to serve as a powerful tool for the early detection of minor allele frequencies, facilitating the timely implementation of interventions to curb the spread of ACT resistance. The ddPCR assays developed in this study provide a sensitive and specific method for detecting Pfkelch13 mutations, allowing the identification of minor parasite populations with artemisinin resistance. These assays enhance our ability to monitor and respond to malaria drug resistance, offering a crucial tool for early detection and contributing to global malaria elimination efforts.

Indexed as

AntimalarialsArtemisininsDrug ResistanceMalaria, FalciparumMutationPlasmodium falciparumPolymerase Chain ReactionProtozoan ProteinsAsiaHumansSensitivity and SpecificityThailandAntimalarialsartemisininArtemisininsProtozoan ProteinsArtemisinin resistanceddPCRPfkelch13Plasmodium falciparum

Identifiers

PMID39929914
PMCPMC11811204

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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.