Malaria Hyperendemicity and Risk for Artemisinin Resistance among Illegal Gold Miners, French Guiana

Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 May;22(5):903-6. doi: 10.3201/eid2205.151957.

Abstract

To assess the prevalence of malaria among illegal gold miners in the French Guiana rainforest, we screened 205 miners during May-June 2014. Malaria prevalence was 48.3%; 48.5% of cases were asymptomatic. Patients reported self-medication with artemisinin-based combination therapy. Risk for emergence and spread of artemisinin resistance among gold miners in the rainforest is high.

Keywords: Barthes N; Bogreau H; Djossou F; French Guiana; French Guiana. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 May [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2205.151957; Hyvert G; Nguyen C; Suggested citation for this article: Pommier de Santi V; antimicrobial resistance; artemisinin; epidemiology; et al. Malaria hyperendemicity and risk for artemisinin resistance among illegal gold miners; hyperendemicity; illegal gold mining; malaria; parasites; vector-borne infections.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antimalarials / pharmacology*
  • Antimalarials / therapeutic use
  • Artemisinins / pharmacology*
  • Artemisinins / therapeutic use
  • Drug Resistance*
  • Female
  • French Guiana / epidemiology
  • Geography
  • Gold*
  • Humans
  • Malaria / drug therapy
  • Malaria / epidemiology*
  • Malaria / parasitology*
  • Malaria, Falciparum / drug therapy
  • Malaria, Falciparum / epidemiology
  • Malaria, Falciparum / parasitology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Miners*
  • Plasmodium falciparum / drug effects
  • Plasmodium falciparum / genetics
  • Prevalence
  • Risk
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Artemisinins
  • Gold