Antimalarial Drug Resistance Data Collection and Mapping
Dr Brian Sharp & Ms Inbarani Naidoo
Antimalarial drug resistance poses a major threat to the control
of malaria in Africa.
This is supported by reports that chloroquine resistant P. falciparum were
associated with increases in morbidity and mortality due to malaria (Trape,
2001). Interventions such as drug policy or drug dosage changes rely on appropriate
drug efficacy information being available to decision makers. However, Plowe
(2003) stated that most resource-poor, malaria- endemic countries lack current
and comprehensive information on antimalarial drug efficacy and the result
is sub-optimal antimalarial treatment policies
This is the goal of including drug susceptibility/resistance
data from Africa as an additional data collection component to the MARA project.
The aim is to record antimalarial drug susceptibility and resistance data
in a systematic manner. Both published and unpublished information on antimalarial
drug resistance studies across Africa are being collected.
An important part of the project is to record Information on the survey locations
as this allows mapping of the drug resistance data. Information on the antimalarial
drug resistance study methodology and study results are also recorded. The
data are abstracted onto a proforma that was specifically designed to capture
the drug resistance information in a systematic manner. A data entry system
was designed to allow users to capture all the data that appears on the proforma.
The database can be queried to extract the drug resistance information required
for analysis. Upon completion, this project will provide an independent single
source of temporal and spatial information on antimalarial drug susceptibility/resistance
in Africa to the scientific community, public health personnel and policy
makers.
Funding:
Centre for Disease Control
LSHTM/Gates Malaria Partnership
Network and collaborators:
The study is co-ordinated by the Malaria Research Programme, MRC in South
Africa and has established links with scientists throughout Africa via the
MARA network. There are different levels of collaboration i.e. some assist
only with sourcing the anti-malarial studies whilst others abstract and/or
enter the data themselves. Collaborators include scientists from Cameroon,
Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mali, Tanzania and Zambia.
In addition, the MARA drug resistance project is part of a
larger collaboration with LSHTM and WHO-AFRO where the goal is to map the
spatial distribution of the genetic determinants of anti-malarial drug resistance
in Africa.
Links:
http://www.mara.org.za
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/pmbu/research/roperlab/index.html
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/gmp/RESEARCH%20FILES/COUNTRY-SOUTHAFRICA.html
