Failure of erythromycin to improve chloroquine treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Kenya.
58 children aged 1 to 10 years who had pure Plasmodium falciparum infections acquired on the coast of Kenya were treated with chloroquine 25 mg/kg given over 3 d and erythromycin 10 mg/kg 4 times a day given for 7 d. After 4 weeks follow-up, 62% had recurrent infections and 11% failed to clear their parasitaemia (1 had an RIII pattern of resistance). Of 38 children treated with chloroquine 25 mg/kg alone, 55% had recurrences and 21% failed to clear (including 1 RIII). In vitro microtests classified 74% of isolates from initial infections and 91% of isolates from recurrent infections as resistant. Erythromycin does not improve chloroquine treatment in children with infections due to P. falciparum having low to moderate levels of chloroquine resistance.
Brandling-Bennett
A D
AD
Clinical Research Centre, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi.
Oloo
A J
AJ
Khan
B
B
Watkins
W M
WM
D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007630:Kenya; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum
D004917:Erythromycin; D002738:Chloroquine