1. Slow clearance of Plasmodium vivax with chloroquine amongst children younger than six months of age in the Brazilian Amazon.
- Author
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Siqueira AM, Coutinho LI, Gurgel RL, Su WC, Carvalho LM, Benzecry SG, Alencar AC, Alexandre MA, Alecrim MG, and Lacerda MV
- Subjects
- Age Factors, Antimalarials adverse effects, Brazil, Child, Child, Preschool, Chloroquine adverse effects, Drug Resistance, Female, Humans, Infant, Kaplan-Meier Estimate, Malaria, Vivax parasitology, Male, Parasitemia parasitology, Retrospective Studies, Time Factors, Antimalarials therapeutic use, Chloroquine therapeutic use, Malaria, Vivax drug therapy, Parasitemia drug therapy, Plasmodium vivax drug effects
- Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread parasite causing malaria, being especially prevalent in the Americas and Southeast Asia. Children are one of the most affected populations, especially in highly endemic areas. However, there are few studies evaluating the therapeutic response of infants with vivax malaria. This study retrospectively evaluated the parasitaemia clearance in children diagnosed with vivax malaria during the first five days of exclusive treatment with chloroquine (CQ). Infants aged less than six months old had a significantly slower parasitaemia clearance time compared to the group of infants and children between six months and 12 years old (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis; Wilcoxon test; p = 0.004). The impaired clearance of parasitaemia in younger children with vivax malaria is shown for the first time in Latin America. It is speculated that CQ pharmacokinetics in young children with vivax malaria is distinct, but this specific population may also allow the detection of CQ-resistant parasites during follow-up, due to the lack of previous immunity.
- Published
- 2014
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