title: Assessment of therapeutic responses to gametocytocidal drugs in Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
abstract: Indirect clinical measures assessing anti-malarial drug transmission-blocking activity in falciparum malaria include measurement of the duration of gametocytaemia, the rate of gametocyte clearance or the area under the gametocytaemia-time curve (AUC). These may provide useful comparative information, but they underestimate dose-response relationships for transmission-blocking activity. Following 8-aminoquinoline administration P. falciparum gametocytes are sterilized within hours, whereas clearance from blood takes days. Gametocytaemia AUC and clearance times are determined predominantly by the more numerous female gametocytes, which are generally less drug sensitive than the minority male gametocytes, whereas transmission-blocking activity and thus infectivity is determined by the more sensitive male forms. In choosing doses of transmission-blocking drugs there is no substitute yet for mosquito-feeding studies.
authors.affiliation: Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. nickw@tropmedres.ac.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ashley
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Recht
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Delves
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruecker
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Smithuis
authors.forename: Alice C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Eziefula
authors.forename: Teun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bousema
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drakeley
authors.forename: Kesinee
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chotivanich
authors.forename: Mallika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imwong
authors.forename: Sasithon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pukrittayakamee
authors.forename: Jetsumon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prachumsri
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andolina
authors.forename: Germana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bancone
authors.forename: Tran T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Hien
authors.forename: Mayfong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayxay
authors.forename: Walter R J
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: von Seidlein
authors.forename: Ric N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Karen I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Abdoulaye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Djimdé
authors.forename: Feiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: ter Kuile
authors.forename: Roly
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gosling
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Mehul J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Dhorda
authors.forename: Kasia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stepniewska
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guérin
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Woodrow
authors.forename: Arjen M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dondorp
authors.forename: Nicholas P J
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Francois H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Nosten
mesh_terms: D000634:Aminoquinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000635:transmission*; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000962:Antimalarials