Emergence of Indigenous Artemisinin Resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Africa

Plasmodium falciparum has developed resistance to artemisinin in Southeast Asia. Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is the first line treatment for malaria in the majority of endemic countries, and its efficacy is of particular importance in Africa where malaria exerts its greatest burden. We report here the first case of an artemisinin resistant strain of P. falciparum from Africa.