This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Borrmann, S.
Right arrow Articles by Kremsner, P. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Borrmann, S.
Right arrow Articles by Kremsner, P. G.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2003, p. 901-904, Vol. 47, No. 3
0066-4804/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.47.3.901-904.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Short-Course Artesunate Treatment of Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Gabon

Steffen Borrmann,1,2* Ayola A. Adegnika,1,2 Michel A. Missinou,1,2 Ronald K. Binder,1 Saadou Issifou,1,2 Andreas Schindler,1 Pierre-Blaise Matsiegui,1 Jürgen F. J. Kun,2 Sanjeev Krishna,3 Bertrand Lell,1,2 and Peter G. Kremsner1,2

Medical Research Unit, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon,1 Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,2 Department of Infectious Diseases, St. George's Medical School Hospital, London, United Kingdom3

Received 29 July 2002/ Returned for modification 2 November 2002/ Accepted 25 November 2002

Artesunate is one of the most important antimalarial agents available, since it is effective against parasites that have developed resistance to conventional antimalarials in sub-Saharan Africa. Antimalarial combination chemotherapies with artesunate (4 mg/kg of body weight once daily for 3 days) as one partner have been proposed. However, the efficacy of a 3-day course of artesunate alone has never been evaluated in individuals in Africa (which has 90% of the worldwide malaria burden) living in regions of hyperendemicity, where a considerable degree of immunity might substantially enhance the efficacy of short courses of artesunate compared to those in regions where the levels of endemicity are low. This lack of information does not permit a systematic assessment of the value of artesunate-based combination chemotherapies in Africa. Therefore, we studied the efficacy and safety of a 3-day course of artesunate (4 mg/kg of body weight, orally, once daily) for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Gabonese patients aged 4 to 15 years (n = 50). Artesunate was well tolerated, and no severe adverse event was reported. Parasite elimination was rapid and was achieved in all patients within <=72 h (geometric mean time to elimination, 34 h). The PCR-corrected cure rate by day 14 was 92% (46 of 50 patients), but it dropped to 72% (36 of 50 patients) by day 28. We conclude that a 3-day course of artesunate fails to achieve sufficiently high cure rates for uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Gabonese children.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Sektion Humanparasitologie, Institut für Tropenmedizin, Wilhelmstrasse 27, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany. Phone: 49 7071 29 8 02 34. Fax: 49 7071 29 46 84. E-mail: steffen.borrmann{at}uni-tuebingen.de.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2003, p. 901-904, Vol. 47, No. 3
0066-4804/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.47.3.901-904.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Rulisa, S., Gatarayiha, J. P., Kabarisa, T., Ndayisaba, G. (2007). Comparison of Different Artemisinin-based Combinations for the Treatment of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Children in Kigali, Rwanda, an Area of Resistance to Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine: Artesunate Plus Sulfadoxine/Pyrimethamine versus Artesunate Plus Sulfamethoxypyrazine/Pyrimethamine. Am J Trop Med Hyg 77: 612-616 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • MOKUOLU, O. A., OKORO, E. O., AYETORO, S. O., ADEWARA, A. A. (2007). EFFECT OF ARTEMISININ-BASED TREATMENT POLICY ON CONSUMPTION PATTERN OF ANTIMALARIALS. Am J Trop Med Hyg 76: 7-11 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • SCHWARZ, N. G., OYAKHIROME, S., POTSCHKE, M., GLASER, B., KLOUWENBERG, P. K., ALTUN, H., ADEGNIKA, A. A., ISSIFOU, S., KUN, J. F. J., KREMSNER, P. G., GROBUSCH, M. P. (2005). 5-DAY NONOBSERVED ARTESUNATE MONOTHERAPY FOR TREATING UNCOMPLICATED FALCIPARUM MALARIA IN YOUNG GABONESE CHILDREN. Am J Trop Med Hyg 73: 705-709 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Borrmann, S., Adegnika, A. A., Moussavou, F., Oyakhirome, S., Esser, G., Matsiegui, P.-B., Ramharter, M., Lundgren, I., Kombila, M., Issifou, S., Hutchinson, D., Wiesner, J., Jomaa, H., Kremsner, P. G. (2005). Short-Course Regimens of Artesunate-Fosmidomycin in Treatment of Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 3749-3754 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • MENARD, D., MATSIKA-CLAQUIN, M. D., DJALLE, D., YAPOU, F., MANIRAKIZA, A., DOLMAZON, V., SARDA, J., TALARMIN, A. (2005). ASSOCIATION OF FAILURES OF SEVEN-DAY COURSES OF ARTESUNATE IN A NON-IMMUNE POPULATION IN BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC WITH DECREASED SENSITIVITY OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM. Am J Trop Med Hyg 73: 616-621 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ramharter, M., Noedl, H., Winkler, H., Graninger, W., Wernsdorfer, W. H., Kremsner, P. G., Winkler, S. (2003). In Vitro Activity and Interaction of Clindamycin Combined with Dihydroartemisinin against Plasmodium falciparum. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47: 3494-3499 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»