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Nonlinear mixed-effects modelling of in vitro drug susceptibility and molecular correlates of multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

ABSTRACT: The analysis of in vitro anti-malarial drug susceptibility testing is vulnerable to the effects of different statistical approaches and selection biases. These confounding factors were assessed with respect to pfmdr1 gene mutation and amplification in 490 clinical isolates. Two statistical approaches for estimating the drug concentration associated with 50% effect (EC50 ) were compared: the commonly used standard two-stage (STS) method, and nonlinear mixed-effects modelling. The in vitro concentration-effect relationships for, chloroquine, mefloquine, lumefantrine and artesunate, were derived from clinical isolates obtained from patients on the western border of Thailand. All isolates were genotyped for polymorphisms in the pfmdr1 gene. The EC50 estimates were similar for the two statistical approaches but 15-28% of isolates in the STS method had a high coefficient of variation (>15%) for individual estimates of EC50 and these isolates had EC50 values that were 32 to 66% higher than isolates derived with more precision. In total 41% (202/490) of isolates had amplification of pfmdr1 and single nucleotide polymorphisms were found in 50 (10%). Pfmdr1 amplification was associated with an increase in EC50 for mefloquine (139% relative increase in EC50 for 2 copies, 188% for 3+ copies), lumefantrine (82% and 75% for 2 and 3+ copies respectively) and artesunate (63% and 127% for 2 and 3+ copies respectively). In contrast pfmdr1 mutation at codons 86 or 1042 were associated with an increase in chloroquine EC50 (44-48%). Sample size calculations showed that to demonstrate an EC50 shift of 50% or more with 80% power if the prevalence was 10% would require 430 isolates and 245 isolates if the prevalence was 20%. In conclusion, although nonlinear mixed-effects modelling did not demonstrate any major advantage for determining estimates of anti-malarial drug susceptibility, the method includes all isolates, thereby, potentially improving confirmation of candidate molecular markers of anti-malarial drug susceptibility.

SUBMITTER: Simpson JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3722116 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Nonlinear mixed-effects modelling of in vitro drug susceptibility and molecular correlates of multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

Simpson Julie A JA Jamsen Kris M KM Anderson Tim J C TJ Zaloumis Sophie S Nair Shalini S Woodrow Charles C White Nicholas J NJ Nosten Francois F Price Ric N RN

PloS one 20130724 7

The analysis of in vitro anti-malarial drug susceptibility testing is vulnerable to the effects of different statistical approaches and selection biases. These confounding factors were assessed with respect to pfmdr1 gene mutation and amplification in 490 clinical isolates. Two statistical approaches for estimating the drug concentration associated with 50% effect (EC50 ) were compared: the commonly used standard two-stage (STS) method, and nonlinear mixed-effects modelling. The in vitro concent ...[more]

PMID: 23894496

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Recently, Plasmodium falciparum parasites bearing Pfdhfr I164L single mutation were found in Madagascar. These new mutants may challenge the use of antifolates for the intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp). Assays with transgenic bacteria suggested that I164L parasites have a wild-type phenotype for pyrimethamine but it had to be confirmed by testing the parasites themselves. METHODS: Thirty Plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates were collected in 2008 in the south-east of Madagascar. A part of Pfdhfr gene encompassing codons 6 to 206 was amplified by PCR and the determination of the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms was performed by DNA sequencing. The multiplicity of infection was estimated by using an allelic family-specific nested PCR. Isolates that appeared monoclonal were submitted to culture adaptation. Determination of IC(50s) to pyrimethamine was performed on adapted isolates. RESULTS: Four different Pfdhfr alleles were found: the 164L single mutant-type (N = 13), the wild-type (N = 7), the triple mutant-type 51I/59R/108N (N = 9) and the double mutant-type 108N/164L (N = 1). Eleven out 30 (36.7%) of P. falciparum isolates were considered as monoclonal infection. Among them, five isolates were successfully adapted in culture and tested for pyrimethamine in vitro susceptibility. The wild-type allele was the most susceptible with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) < 10 nM. The geometric mean of IC(50) of the three I164L mutant isolates was 6-fold higher than the wild-type with 61.3 nM (SD = 3.2 nM, CI95%: 53.9-69.7 nM). These values remained largely below the IC(50) of the triple mutant parasite (13,804 nM). CONCLUSION: The IC(50)s of the I164L mutant isolates were significantly higher than those of the wild-type (6-fold higher) and close from those usually reported for simple mutants S108N (roughly10-fold higher than wild type). Given the observed values, the determination of IC(50)s directly on parasites did not confirm what has been found on transgenic bacteria. The prevalence increase of the Pfdhfr I164L single mutant parasite since 2006 could be explained by the selective advantage of this allele under sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine pressure. The emergence of highly resistant alleles should be considered in the future, in particular because an unexpected double mutant-type allele S108N/I164L has been already detected.

Project description:The emergence and spread in Southeast Asia of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin (ART) derivatives, the cornerstone of first-line artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), underscore the urgent need to identify suitable replacement drugs. Discovery and development efforts have identified a series of ozonides with attractive chemical and pharmacological properties that are being touted as suitable replacements. Partial resistance to ART, defined as delayed parasite clearance in malaria patients treated with an ART derivative or an ACT, has been associated with mutations in the P. falciparum K13 gene. In light of reports showing that ART derivatives and ozonides share similar modes of action, we have investigated whether parasites expressing mutant K13 are cross-resistant to the ozonides OZ439 (artefenomel) and OZ227 (arterolane). This work used a panel of culture-adapted clinical isolates from Cambodia that were genetically edited to express variant forms of K13. Phenotypic analyses employed ring-stage survival assays (ring-stage survival assay from 0 to 3 h [RSA0-3h]), whose results have earlier been shown to correlate with parasite clearance rates in patients. Our results document cross-resistance between OZ277 and dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a semisynthetic derivative of ART, in parasites carrying the K13 mutations C580Y, R539T, and I543T. For OZ439, we observed cross-resistance only for parasites that carried the rare K13 I543T mutation, with no evidence of cross-resistance afforded by the prevalent C580Y mutation. Mixed-culture competition experiments with isogenic lines carrying modified K13 revealed variable growth deficits depending on the K13 mutation and parasite strain and provide a rationale for the broad dissemination of the fitness-neutral K13 C580Y mutation throughout strains currently circulating in Southeast Asia.IMPORTANCE ACTs have helped halve the malaria disease burden in recent years; however, emerging resistance to ART derivatives threatens to reverse this substantial progress. Resistance is driven primarily by mutations in the P. falciparum K13 gene. These mutations pose a threat to ozonides, touted as promising alternatives to ARTs that share a similar mode of action. We report that DHA was considerably more potent than OZ439 and OZ277 against ART-sensitive asexual blood-stage parasites cultured in vitro We also document that mutant K13 significantly compromised the activity of the registered drug OZ277. In contrast, OZ439 remained effective against most parasite lines expressing mutant K13, with the exception of I543T that merits further monitoring in field-based OZ439 efficacy studies. K13 mutations differed considerably in their impact on parasite growth rates, in a strain-dependent context, with the most prevalent C580Y mutation being fitness neutral in recently culture-adapted strains from Cambodia, the epicenter of emerging ART resistance.

Project description:BackgroundHigh rates of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) treatment failures have been documented for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum in Cambodia. The genetic markers plasmepsin 2 (pfpm2), exonuclease (pfexo) and chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) genes are associated with PPQ resistance and are used for monitoring the prevalence of drug resistance and guiding malaria drug treatment policy.MethodsTo examine the relative contribution of each marker to PPQ resistance, in vitro culture and the PPQ survival assay were performed on seventeen P. falciparum isolates from northern Cambodia, and the presence of E415G-Exo and pfcrt mutations (T93S, H97Y, F145I, I218F, M343L, C350R, and G353V) as well as pfpm2 copy number polymorphisms were determined. Parasites were then cloned by limiting dilution and the cloned parasites were tested for drug susceptibility. Isobolographic analysis of several drug combinations for standard clones and newly cloned P. falciparum Cambodian isolates was also determined.ResultsThe characterization of culture-adapted isolates revealed that the presence of novel pfcrt mutations (T93S, H97Y, F145I, and I218F) with E415G-Exo mutation can confer PPQ-resistance, in the absence of pfpm2 amplification. In vitro testing of PPQ resistant parasites demonstrated a bimodal dose-response, the existence of a swollen digestive vacuole phenotype, and an increased susceptibility to quinine, chloroquine, mefloquine and lumefantrine. To further characterize drug sensitivity, parental parasites were cloned in which a clonal line, 14-B5, was identified as sensitive to artemisinin and piperaquine, but resistant to chloroquine. Assessment of the clone against a panel of drug combinations revealed antagonistic activity for six different drug combinations. However, mefloquine-proguanil and atovaquone-proguanil combinations revealed synergistic antimalarial activity.ConclusionsSurveillance for PPQ resistance in regions relying on DHA-PPQ as the first-line treatment is dependent on the monitoring of molecular markers of drug resistance. P. falciparum harbouring novel pfcrt mutations with E415G-exo mutations displayed PPQ resistant phenotype. The presence of pfpm2 amplification was not required to render parasites PPQ resistant suggesting that the increase in pfpm2 copy number alone is not the sole modulator of PPQ resistance. Genetic background of circulating field isolates appear to play a role in drug susceptibility and biological responses induced by drug combinations. The use of latest field isolates may be necessary for assessment of relevant drug combinations against P. falciparum strains and when down-selecting novel drug candidates.

Project description:ObjectivesIn the Gambia, chloroquine (CQ) plus sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is the first-line antimalarial treatment. Plasmodium falciparum parasites carrying mutations associated with resistance to each of these drugs were present in 2001 but did not cause a significant loss of therapeutic efficacy among children receiving the combination CQ/SP. We measured their effect on parasite transmission to Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes.DesignWe conducted a single-blind, randomised, controlled trial with follow-up over 28 d. Mosquito feeding experiments were carried out 7, 10, or 14 d after treatment.SettingThe study took place in the town of Farafenni and surrounding villages in the Gambia.ParticipantsParticipants were 500 children aged 6 mo to 10 y with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria.InterventionsChildren were randomised to receive CQ, SP, or CQ/SP.Outcome measuresOutcomes related to transmission were determined, including posttreatment gametocyte prevalence and density. Infectiousness was assessed by membrane-feeding A. gambiae mosquitoes with blood from 70 gametocyte-positive patients. Mutations at seven loci in four genes associated with drug resistance were measured pre- and posttreatment and in the midguts of infected mosquitoes.ResultsAfter SP treatment, the infectiousness of gametocytes was delayed, compared to the other two treatment groups, despite comparable gametocyte densities. Among bloodmeal gametocytes and the midguts of infected mosquitoes, the presence of the four-locus multidrug-resistant haplotype TYRG (consisting of mutations pfcrt-76T, pfmdr1-86Y, pfdhfr-59R, and pfdhps-437G) was associated with significantly higher oocyst burdens after treatment with the combination CQ/SP.ConclusionsParasites with a multidrug-resistant genotype had a substantial transmission advantage after CQ/SP treatment but did not have a significant impact on in vivo efficacy of this drug combination. Protocols that include measuring transmission endpoints as well as therapeutic outcomes may be a useful strategy when monitoring the evolution of drug resistance in malaria parasites in vivo.

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Nonlinear mixed-effects modelling of in vitro drug susceptibility and molecular correlates of multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

Publications

Nonlinear mixed-effects modelling of in vitro drug susceptibility and molecular correlates of multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

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