A Mutation Is Making It Easier for Drug Resistant Malaria to Spread Research from Brown University has raised alarm about a genetic mutation that's increasing the spread of malaria in sub Saharan Africa.
The PIN mutation, identified in 84% of samples from northern Uganda and 55% from eastern Uganda by 2024, is particularly concerning because it reduces the effectiveness of treatment with artemether lumefantrine.
Historically, this combination drug has been a mainstay of malaria treatment, but researchers have long suspected that parasites are becoming less sensitive to it.