Plasmodium falciparum Founder Populations in Western Cambodia Have Reduced Artemisinin SensitivityIn Vitro

Abstract

ABSTRACTReducedPlasmodium falciparumsensitivity to short-course artemisinin (ART) monotherapy manifests as a long parasite clearance half-life. We recently defined three parasite founder populations with long half-lives in Pursat, western Cambodia, where reduced ART sensitivity is prevalent. Using the ring-stage survival assay, we show that these founder populations have reduced ART sensitivityin vitroat the early ring stage of parasite development and that a genetically admixed population contains subsets of parasites with normal or reduced ART sensitivity.