Cause of Malaria Drug Resistance in SE Asia Identified

December 11, 2014

(Medical Xpress) – Growing resistance to malaria drugs in Southeast Asia is caused by a single mutated gene inside the disease-causing Plasmodium falciparum parasite, according to a study led by David Fidock, PhD, professor of microbiology & immunology and of medical sciences (in medicine) at Columbia University Medical Center. This finding provides public health officials around the world with a way to look for pockets of emerging resistance and potentially eliminate them before they spread.