Declining Artesunate-Mefloquine Efficacy against Falciparum Malaria on the Cambodia–Thailand Border

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Wongsrichanalai, Chansuda ; Meshnick, Steven R.
• Description:
  Resistance to many antimalaria drugs developed on the Cambodia-Thailand border long before developing elsewhere. Because antimalaria resistance is now a global problem, artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the first-line therapies in most malaria-endemic countries. However, recent clinical and molecular studies suggest the emergence of ACT-resistant Plasmodium falciparum infections in the Cambodia-Thailand border area, where standard ACT is artesunate and mefloquine. These ACT failures might be caused by high-level mefloquine resistance because mefloquine was used for monotherapy long before the introduction of ACT. This observation raises 2 questions. First, how can existing P. falciparum-resistant strains be controlled? Second, how can the evolution of new ACT- resistant strains be avoided elsewhere, e.g., in Africa? Enforcement of rational drug use and improved diagnostic capacity are among the measures needed to avoid and contain ACT resistance.
• Subjects:
  Animals Antimalarials Artemisinins Directly Observed Therapy Drug Resistance Drug Therapy, Combination Humans Malaria, Falciparum Mefloquine Polymerase Chain Reaction Synopsis Treatment Failure

  More +
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 14(5):716-719.
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Cambodia ; Thailand
• Location:
  Asia
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  5
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:a56ecb5bd9df81122214a0ee99f6d2162b8d488b920f102723e98703e435187d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/17148/cdc_17148_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 98.59 KB ]