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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Therapeutic Efficacy Of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine And Prevalence Of Resistance Markers In Tanzania Prior To Revision Of Malaria Treatment Policy: Plasmodium Falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase And Dihydropteroate Synthase Mutations In Monitoring In Vivo Resistance, K. Mugittu, M. Ndejembi, A. Malisa, M. Lemnge, Zul Premji, A. Mwita, W. Nkya, J. Kataraihya, S. Abdulla, H.-P. Beck, H. Mshinda Jan 2004

Therapeutic Efficacy Of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine And Prevalence Of Resistance Markers In Tanzania Prior To Revision Of Malaria Treatment Policy: Plasmodium Falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase And Dihydropteroate Synthase Mutations In Monitoring In Vivo Resistance, K. Mugittu, M. Ndejembi, A. Malisa, M. Lemnge, Zul Premji, A. Mwita, W. Nkya, J. Kataraihya, S. Abdulla, H.-P. Beck, H. Mshinda

Pathology, East Africa

Prior to the 2001 malarial treatment policy change in Tanzania, we conducted trials to assess the efficacy of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and the usefulness of molecular markers in monitoring resistance. A total of 383 uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria patients (between 6 and 59 months old) were treated with SP and their responses were assessed. Mutations in the P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (pfdhps) genes in admission day blood samples were analyzed. Results indicated that 85.6% of the patients showed an adequate clinical response, 9.7% an early treatment failure, and 4.7% a late treatment failure. The quintuple mutant genotype …


Rare, Highly Pyrimethamine-Resistant Alleles Of The Plasmodium Falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase Gene From 5 African Sites, S.J. Bates, P.A. Winstanley, W.M. Watkins, A. Alloueche, J. Bwika, T.C. Happi, P.G. Kremsner, J.G. Kublin, Zul Premji, C.H. Sibley Jan 2004

Rare, Highly Pyrimethamine-Resistant Alleles Of The Plasmodium Falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase Gene From 5 African Sites, S.J. Bates, P.A. Winstanley, W.M. Watkins, A. Alloueche, J. Bwika, T.C. Happi, P.G. Kremsner, J.G. Kublin, Zul Premji, C.H. Sibley

Pathology, East Africa

In eastern and southern Africa, there has been a rapid increase in the prevalence of alleles with mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase gene (dhfr) associated with increased risk of clinical failure of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (S/P). Molecular methods for surveillance of these mutations are now widespread, but the usual analysis detects only the most prevalent allele in a polyclonal sample. We used a yeast-expression system to identify rare, highly pyrimethamine-resistant alleles of dhfr in isolates from 5 African countries-Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Gabon, and Nigeria. Only the isolates from Nigeria yielded significant numbers of novel resistant alleles, and only 1 of …


Averting A Malaria Disaster In Africa - Where Does The Buck Stop?, C.J.M. Whitty, R. Allan, V. Wiseman, S. Ochola, M.V. Nakyanzi-Mugisha, B. Vonhm, M. Mwita, C. Miaka, A. Oloo, Zul Premji, C. Burgess, T.K. Mutabingwa Jan 2004

Averting A Malaria Disaster In Africa - Where Does The Buck Stop?, C.J.M. Whitty, R. Allan, V. Wiseman, S. Ochola, M.V. Nakyanzi-Mugisha, B. Vonhm, M. Mwita, C. Miaka, A. Oloo, Zul Premji, C. Burgess, T.K. Mutabingwa

Pathology, East Africa

The serious threat posed by the spread of drug-resistant malaria in Africa has been widely acknowledged. Chloroquine resistance is now almost universal, and resistance to the successor drug, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), is growing rapidly. Combination therapy has been suggested as being an available and potentially lasting solution to this impending crisis. However, the current cost of combination therapy, and especially that of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT), is potentially a serious drawback, even if a significant part of its cost is passed on to the end-user. If the question of cost is not successfully addressed this could lead to adverse results from …


Higher Il-10 Levels Are Associated With Less Effective Clearance Of Plasmodium Falciparum Parasites, E. Hugosson, S.M. Montgomery, Zul Premji, M. Troye-Blomberg, A. Bjorkman Jan 2004

Higher Il-10 Levels Are Associated With Less Effective Clearance Of Plasmodium Falciparum Parasites, E. Hugosson, S.M. Montgomery, Zul Premji, M. Troye-Blomberg, A. Bjorkman

Pathology, East Africa

The implications of high levels of the immune regulatory cytokine IL-10 in Plasmodium falciparum malaria are unclear. IL-10 may down-regulate pro-inflammatory responses and also exacerbate disease by inhibiting anti-parasitic immune functions. To study possible inhibiting effects on parasite clearance, IL-10 plasma levels were determined in 104 Tanzanian children, 1 to 4 years old, with acute uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria, and analysed for association with parasite densities during 3 days of anti-malarial treatment. Higher baseline IL-10 plasma levels were associated with statistically significantly higher parasite densities after 24, 48 and 72 h of treatment. These associations could not be explained by …