P. falciparum genetic structure before and after the development of artemisinin based combination therapy in Malawi

Malawi replaced sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) with Coartem as the first-line treatment for malaria in November 2007. This project seeks to evaluate the impact of this treatment policy change on the genetic structure of parasites at a single location before and after the switch. The working hypothesis is that in areas where malaria transmission levels are decreasing due to sustained malaria control interventions, both the prevalence and complexity of multiple-genotype infections (MIs) will dramatically decline.

Status: The project is currently on hold while the PI completes a post-doc in the USA. Field work will commence in 2013.