An international research team utilized genetic clues to decode the blueprint of Plasmodium falciparum, a strain of malaria most resistive to medicines, which leads to the majority of fatalities throughout the world.

According to study scientists, the finding could give rise to better pharmaceutics to fight the deadly illness and prevent drug resistance.

"Combating malaria resistance is nothing short of an arms race," said study's lead author Dr. Philip Awadalla, a paediatrics professor at the Universite de Montreal, a scientist at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and scientific director of CARTaGENE.

"As the malaria pathogen evolves, researchers must evolve with it to find ways to counter the disease," Dr. Philip added.

Dr. Philip along with fellow workers deciphered 200 samples of malaria from Central America, Asia, South America and Papua New Guinea.

Their objective was to make out how Plasmodium falciparum strains were getting resistant to 8 anti-malaria medications presently available.

As part of their genomic mapping, the study scientists discovered that Plasmodium falciparum recombined fastest in Africa.

Awadalla also compared malaria genomes to humans.

Awadalla stated that fresh hints gathered by this research will permit pharmas to make drugs, which target the evolving malaria genome.

The research has been released in Nature Genetics. (With Input from Agencies)