First identification of the benzimidazole resistance-associated F200Y SNP in the beta-tubulin gene in Ascaris lumbricoides

PLoS One. 2019 Oct 17;14(10):e0224108. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224108. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

The main control strategy for Ascaris lumbricoides is mass drug administration (especially with benzimidazoles), which can select strains of parasites resistant to treatment. Mutations in the beta-tubulin isotype-1 gene at codons 167, 198 and 200 have been linked to benzimidazole resistance in several nematodes. The mutation in codon 200 is the most frequent in different species of parasites, as previously observed in Necator americanus and Trichuris trichiura; however, this mutation has never been found in populations of A. lumbricoides. This study aimed to screen for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the beta-tubulin isotype-1 gene at codon 200 in A. lumbricoides. We developed a technique based on an amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS-PCR) for the analysis of 854 single A. lumbricoides eggs collected from 68 human stool samples from seven Brazilian states. We detected the mutation in codon 200 at a frequency of 0.5% (4/854). This is the first report of this mutation in A. lumbricoides. Although the observed frequency is low, its presence indicates that these parasite populations have the potential to develop high levels of resistance in the future. The methodology proposed here provides a powerful tool to screen for the emergence of anthelmintic resistance mutations in parasitic nematode populations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / pharmacology*
  • Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
  • Ascariasis / drug therapy
  • Ascariasis / parasitology
  • Ascaris lumbricoides / drug effects*
  • Ascaris lumbricoides / genetics
  • Ascaris lumbricoides / isolation & purification
  • Benzimidazoles / pharmacology*
  • Benzimidazoles / therapeutic use
  • Drug Resistance / genetics*
  • Feces / parasitology
  • Genotype
  • Helminth Proteins / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Ovum / metabolism
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Tubulin / genetics*

Substances

  • Anthelmintics
  • Benzimidazoles
  • Helminth Proteins
  • Tubulin
  • benzimidazole

Grants and funding

This work received financial support from Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (PRPq; https://www.ufmg.br/prpq/; received by EMLR) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG; Grant number APQ-02417-16; http://www.fapemig.br/; received by EMLR). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.