Kelch-13 Polymorphism in Plasmodium Species from Children with Febrile Cases in Nasarawa State, Nigeria
Imokhe, G. A *
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Ngwai, Y.B
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Nkene, I. H
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Galleh R. P
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Igbawua, I. N
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Tama, S. C
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Danjuma, J
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Abdulmumin R. I
Department of Basic Sciences (Microbiology), Phoenix University, Agawda, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Eghieye, M. O.
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: This study investigated Kelch-13 polymorphism in Plasmodium species from Children with febrile cases in Secondary and Tertiary Health Facilities, in Nasarawa-South Senatorial District, Nigeria
Study Design: Cross sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Nasarawa State University, between December 2024 and May 2025.
Methodology: This study utilized a subset of fifty archived, malaria-positive blood samples collected from febrile children, of age 1 to 12, at secondary and tertiary health facilities within the Nasarawa-South senatorial zone, Nigeria, during previous studies. Plasmodium species identification and the detection of the Kelch-13 gene were performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Kelch-13 gene was subsequently screened for polymorphisms via Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis.
Results: The Plasmodium species namely; Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) and Plasmodium ovale (P. ovale) were identified from the seropositive samples with P. falciparum (28; 56.0%) having the highest prevalence. The prevalence of Kelch-13 gene found to be highest in P. falciparum (6/28; 21.4%) than in P. ovale (1/6; 16.7%). The percentage proportion of non-anonymous polymorphism in the PfK13 gene (4/6; 66.7) due to non-digestion with XbaI restriction enzyme was found to be higher than the anonymous polymorphism in the Kelch-13 gene (2/6; 33.3%). The Kelch-13 gene in P. falciparum without anonymous mutation were more frequently detected among the children with suspected cases of febrile in the study area.
Conclusion: This study confirms the high prevalence of P. falciparum among febrile children in the region. Notably, a significant proportion of isolates featured K13 gene mutations, dominated by non-synonymous polymorphisms. This suggests the presence of artemisinin resistance-linked mutations in the study area, underscoring the need for robust surveillance and review of current treatment protocols.
Keywords: Plasmodium, children, artermisinin, resistance, malaria, polymorphism