Real-time PCR methods for monitoring antimalarial drug resistance.

Drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum is a challenge to malaria control programs. Policy makers currently depend on in vivo (and, sometimes, in vitro) resistance testing to set treatment guidelines. Molecular markers such as mutations in dhfr, dhps, pfcrt and pfmdr1 represent potential surveillance tools. In this article, we describe newer high-throughput methods for detecting these molecular markers. One method, 5' nuclease real-time polymerase chain reaction, is discussed in detail.