Drug therapy for Plasmodium falciparum malaria resistant to pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine (Fansidar). A study of alternate regimens in Eastern Thailand, 1980

Abstract

A trial of drug regimens for treating Plasmodium falciparum malaria was conducted in a refugee camp in eastern Thailand where extensive 'Fansidar' (pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine) resistance had been demonstrated. The efficacy of quinine alone was compared to that of quinine combined with either fansidar or tetracycline. Quinine alone cleared the parasitaemia in 57 of 59 patients but failed to cure approximately one-third of these patients after 7 or 10 days of therapy. The addition of fansidar to quinine therapy did not significantly improve the overall cure rate. Tetracycline given for 10 days in combination with quinine cured all patients, suggesting that tetracycline should be considered in treating patients with falciparum malaria contracted in the area of the Thai-Kampuchean border.