DETECTION OF RAPD MARKERS CORRELATED WITH CHLOROQUINE RESISTANCE IN PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM

We described the use of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) te chnique on Plasmodium falciparum DNA to detect genetic markers for chl oroquine-resistant strains. Fourteen RAPD primers were tested, three o f which generated banding patterns correlated with chloroquine resista nce. To measure this correlation, the RAPD profiles were analyzed usin g the Nei and Li similarity coefficient. Detection of distinctive RAPD bands allowed us to synthesize specific PCR primers to be used on who le-blood samples. Two primer sets were synthesized and tested on sensi tive and resistant strains for their ability to amplify the DNA fragme nt corresponding to the RAPD marker. These results suggest that RAPD a nd PCR techniques can be used as powerful tools for the detection of g enetic markers associated with drug resistance.