PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM - DETECTION OF ANTIFOLATE RESISTANCE BY MUTATION-SPECIFIC RESTRICTION ENZYME DIGESTION

We describe here a rapid procedure to predict the resistance of Plasmo dium falciparum to pyrimethamine or cycloguanil. The method consists o f amplification by PCR of the DHFR gene followed by restriction enzyme digestion of codons 16 and 108. Three different enzymes are used to c ut the wild-type, 108-threonine mutant, and 108-asparagine mutant gene . Since every natural antifolate-resistant isolate identified until no w carries a mutation in codon 108, determination of the nature of this codon can predict the sensitivity of any P. falciparum isolate. (C) 1 995 Academic Press, Inc.