Short report: a consideration of primaquine dose adjustment for radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria

Abstract

Relapse of Plasmodium vivax malaria following standard primaquine dosing has been reported from many areas, and more recently from sub-Saharan Africa. In this report we describe eight episodes (in five patients) of treatment failure in non-immune Israeli travelers returning from Ethiopia. Retrospective calculation of the primaquine dose per kilogram of body weight for 23 treatment courses showed a lower total dose per kilogram in heavier patients. The mean calculated dose (95% CI) in the eight failed treatments was 2.5 +/- 0.3 mg/kg compared with 4.4 +/- 0.5 mg/kg in the 15 successful treatment courses. Weight-adjusted dosing regimens may prevent inadvertent subtherapeutic drug failure, and thus apparent primaquine failure. In these cases, no relapses were observed in those who received > 3.5 mg/kg. Consideration should be given to adjusting the dose of primaquine according to body weight. For those infected by strains from Ethiopia a dose > 3.5 mg/kg is preferable.