[en] Treatment of no complicated malaria cases due to P. falciparum is based on the administration of Sulfodoxine/Pyrimethamine (S/P) and Artesunate (AS) while P. vivax infections are treated with Chloroquine) and (Primaquine (PQ). There is no data related to molecular markers of resistance to antimalarial drugs in Ecuador, nevertheless in vivo studies suggest that CQ ressitance is widely spread through the country. Single Nucleotyde Polymophisms (SNP's) in the Chloroquine Resistance Transporter gene (crt), dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and dihydropteroate synthetase (dhps) confer resistance to CQ and antifolates. This study identifies the most important mutations in crt, dhfr, dhps in P. calciparum and dhfr in P. vivax. We analyzed the importance and implications of these findings in the epidemiological context in Ecuador. Alternatively, a small scale molecular epidemiology study was carried out in order to identify the genotypes of P. vivax.
