[Artesunate in interrupting the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum].

Objective: To observe the effect of artesunate (ATS) on the infectivity of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes (PFG).

Methods: 31 volunteers with falciparum malaria and gametocytaemia were randomly divided into 3 groups: artesunate (ATS) group (15 cases), quinine (QN) group (10 cases) and placebo group (6 cases). Each case in ATS group received 6-day course of oral artesunate (200 mg at 0, 6 and 24 hours then 100 mg daily for 4 days).