title: Quantification of the response to miltefosine treatment for visceral leishmaniasis by QT-NASBA.
abstract: A male patient with psoriatic arthritis and visceral Leishmania infantum infection was treated with oral miltefosine 50 mg three times a day for 4 weeks at the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Miltefosine plasma concentrations were measured with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The parasite load was followed by quantitative nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (QT-NASBA) assay in blood. Miltefosine elicited a prompt therapeutic effect. After an initial worsening of symptoms and an increase of QT-NASBA values during the first week, recovery was rapidly achieved. QT-NASBA values declined exponentially and were negative after 6 weeks. Miltefosine plasma concentrations continued to accumulate during the 4 weeks of treatment. The terminal elimination half-life was 14.8 days.
authors: Academic Medical Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine & AIDS, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. p.j.devries@amc.uva.nl
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: de Vries
authors: W F
authors: WF
authors: van der Meide
authors: M H
authors: MH
authors: Godfried
authors: H D F H
authors: HD
authors: Schallig
authors: H J
authors: HJ
authors: Dinant
authors: W R
authors: WR
authors: Faber