title: On chikungunya acute infection and chloroquine treatment.
abstract: In recent issues, the efficacy of chloroquine (and the dosage that may be used) in the treatment of acute chikungunya infections was discussed. We have conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial on the French Reunion Island (Indian Ocean), in which 27 patients received chloroquine and 27 patients received a placebo treatment. The chloroquine treatment consisted of 600 mg at day 1, 600 mg at days 2 and 3, and 300 mg at days 4 and 5. No significant difference between groups could be identified regarding the duration of febrile arthralgia or the decrease of viremia between day 1 and day 3. However, at day 200, patients who received chloroquine complained more frequently of arthralgia than those who received placebo (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our results suggest that there is currently no justification for the use of chloroquine to treat acute chikungunya infections.
authors.affiliation: Unité des Virus Emergents, Université de la Méditerranée & Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Marseille, France. xavier.de-lamballerie@medecine.univ-mrs.fr
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: De Lamballerie
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boisson
authors.forename: Jean-Charles
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reynier
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enault
authors.forename: Rémi N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Charrel
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flahault
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roques
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Le Grand
mesh_terms: D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002646:Chikungunya virus; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D017508:Reunion; D013997:Time Factors; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D002738:Chloroquine