Genetics of malaria drug resistance revealed
The genetics underpinning resistance to a
frontline malaria drug, artemisinin, have been revealed, scientists say.
By Rebecca MorelleScience
Correspondent, BBC News
I found this article in this webpage:http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30886419
It was published the 19th January 2015 at 04:21 PM, and it is
included in the group of Medicine and Research.
Summary
This article talks about a new discovery related to the malaria virus.
Scientists have discovered that there’s a gene that can resist the drug -
artemisinin- nowadays used to treat the disease. It is necessary to stop this
from spreading around, so scientists are beginning to identify and predict the
areas where malaria could spread.
Glossary
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Underpinning: to support or to give support to
something.
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Tough: strong.
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Evolve: to generate an evolution.
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“In concert with”: together with.
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Enhance: to increase.
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Finite: limited.
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Mapping: locating in a map.
Critical Review
Society has always heard about
diseases like Malaria, as Ebola or Babesiosis, but I personally think we are
not conscious of the big problem this new discovery supposes. The scientific
community had it difficult to come up with a valid treatment for Malaria, and
now this treatment is useless.
Something positive is that it has
been found the places where this mutation has appeared, so scientists can
clearly investigate and predict the places where the disease is going to
appear. Also, they have found a mutation on a gene called Kelch13 which has
resistance to malaria. “If you don’t have this mutation of Kelch13, you don’t
have resistance”, DrMiotto told the BBC.
The most affected areas in the world
are Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar, but it is feared that
resistance to artemisinin could spread to Sub Saharian Africa, unless we stop
it.
Writen by Claudia Maldonado
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