Investigation of Mutations in the crt-o and mdr1 Genes of Plasmodium vivax for the Molecular Surveillance of Chloroquine Resistance in Parasites from Gold Mining Areas in Roraima, Brazil

<i>Plasmodium vivax</i> causes the largest malaria burden in Brazil, and chloroquine resistance poses a challenge to eliminating malaria by 2035. Illegal mining in the Roraima Yanomami Indigenous territory can lead to the introduction of resistant parasites. This study aimed to investigate mutations in the <i>pvcrt-o</i> and <i>pvmdr-1</i> genes to determine their potential as predictors of <i>P. vivax</i> chloroquine-resistant phenotypes. Samples were collected in two health centers of Boa Vista. A questionnaire was completed, and blood was drawn from each patient. Then, DNA extraction, PCR, amplicon purification, and DNA sequencing were performed. After alignment with the Sal-1, the amplified fragment was analyzed. Patients infected with the mutant parasites were queried in the Surveillance Information System. Among the patients, 98% (157/164) of participants were from illegal mining areas. The <i>pvcrt-o</i> was sequenced in 151 samples, and the K10 insertion was identified in 13% of them. The <i>pvmdr1</i> was sequenced in 80 samples, and the <b>M</b>YF haplotype (958<b>M</b>) was detected in 92% of them and the TYF was detected in 8%, while the <b>M</b>Y<b>L</b> was absent. No cases of recrudescence, hospitalization, or death were found. Mutations in the <i>pvcrt-o</i> and <i>pvmdr-1</i> genes have no potential to predict chloroquine resistance in <i>P. vivax</i>.