IN VITRO SUSCEPTIBILITY OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM TO LUMEFANTRINE AND ANALYSIS OF POLYMOPHYSIMS IN PFMDR-1 GENE ISOLATES FROM ABIDJAN (CÔTE D’IVOIRE)

Context: Malaria endemic disease remains the most common tropical parasitic disease in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria is the first endemic disease of which humanity is paying a heavy price. Malaria is a major public health problem in Côte d’Ivoire. Objective: To evaluate the in vitro chemosensitivity to Lumefantrine (LUM) and analyze Pfmdr-1gene polymorphism in isolates of Plasmodium falciparum from Abidjan. Materials and Methods: The in vitro activity of Lumefantrine (LUM) was performed using the optical variant of microtest of the World Health Organization (WHO). After extraction, plasmodial falciparum DNA fragments were amplified by PCR method. The study of Pfmdr-1 polymophism was performed after sequencing of amplicons. The analysis of the relationship between the observed mutations and chemosensitivity of isolates was performed using Cohen’s kappa test. Results: Out of 64 Plasmodium falciparum isolates tested, 57 (89%) gave cleare results of in vitro culture. It was found that 67% of them were susceptible to LUM against 33% that were resistant. Molecular study performed on 28 isolates showed that 11% had N86Y mutation while 57% had Y184F mutation. The degree of concordance between phenotypic and molecular data was moderate (k = 0.5).Conclusion: The presence of Plasmodium falciparum isolates resistant to LUM could compromise the effectiveness of association of artemether-lumefantrine recommended in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Côte d’Ivoire. Furthermore, mutations affecting Pfmdr-1 gene may play a role in resistance to LUM.