Efficacy of chloroquine, amodiaquine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, chloroquine-sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine combination, and amodiaquine-sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine combination in Central African children with noncomplicated malaria.
This paper reports a two-phase study in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR): first, we assessed the clinical efficacy to chloroquine (CQ), sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), and amodiaquine (AQ), then we tested the efficacy of two combinations: CQ + SP and AQ + SP. We used the standard 14-day WHO 2001 protocol to compare therapeutic responses in children under 5 years of age with acute uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Bangui between February 2002 and March 2004. The overall treatment failure rates with CQ, AQ, SP, CQ + SP, and AQ + SP were 40.9%, 20.0%, 22.8%, 7.2%, and 0%. These findings suggest that the Ministry of Health should recommend an interim policy with AQ + SP combination as the first-line antimalarial drug in Bangui until best alternative treatments like artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) become available at low prices in the CAR.
Menard
Didier
D
Pasteur Institute of Bangui Central African Republic. dmenard@pasteur-bangui.org
Madji
Nestor
N
Manirakiza
Alexandre
A
Djalle
Djibrine
D
Koula
Max Roger
MR
Talarmin
Antoine
A
D000655:Amodiaquine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002488:Central African Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000008:administration & dosage
D000962:Antimalarials; D004338:Drug Combinations; D000655:Amodiaquine; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D002738:Chloroquine; D011739:Pyrimethamine