Pharmacokinetic profiles of artesunate following multiple intravenous doses of 2, 4, and 8 mg/kg in healthy volunteers: phase 1b study.

Background: Severe malaria results in over a million deaths every year, most of them in children aged less than five years and living in sub-Saharan Africa. Injectable artesunate (AS) was recommended as initial treatment for severe malaria by WHO in 2006. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) has been developing a novel good manufacturing practice (GMP) injection of AS, which was approved by the US FDA for investigational drug use and distribution by the CDC.

Comparison of PCR and microscopy for the detection of asymptomatic malaria in a Plasmodium falciparum/vivax endemic area in Thailand.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to compare the performance of nested PCR with expert microscopy as a means of detecting Plasmodium parasites during active malaria surveillance in western Thailand.

Methods: The study was performed from May 2000 to April 2002 in the village of Kong Mong Tha, located in western Thailand. Plasmodium vivax (PV) and Plasmodium falciparum (PF) are the predominant parasite species in this village, followed by Plasmodium malariae (PM) and Plasmodium ovale (PO).

[In vitro antimalarial drug resistance in Southeastern Bangladesh].

Particularly in Southeast Asia drug resistance has become a major constraint in the treatment of falciparum malaria. So far relatively little is known about the current status of drug resistance in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the in vitro drug susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum in south-eastern Bangladesh.

In vitro antimalarial activity of azithromycin, artesunate, and quinine in combination and correlation with clinical outcome.

Azithromycin when used in combination with faster-acting antimalarials has proven efficacious in treating Plasmodium falciparum malaria in phase 2 clinical trials. The aim of this study was to establish optimal combination ratios for azithromycin in combination with either dihydroartemisinin or quinine, to determine the clinical correlates of in vitro drug sensitivity for these compounds, and to assess the cross-sensitivity patterns. Seventy-three fresh P.

Nonisotopic, semiautomated plasmodium falciparum bioassay for measurement of antimalarial drug levels in serum or plasma.

A simple, nonisotopic, semiautomated bioassay for the measurement of antimalarial drug levels in plasma or serum based on the quantitation of histidine-rich protein II in malaria culture is presented. The assay requires only small sample volumes and was found to be highly sensitive and reproducible. The results closely paralleled those obtained with isotopic bioassays (R = 0.

Plasmodium falciparum: effect of anti-malarial drugs on the production and secretion characteristics of histidine-rich protein II.

Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein II (HRP2) is one of the best documented malaria proteins. However, little is known about the development of HRP2 concentrations under the influence of anti-malarial drugs. HRP2 levels were determined in cell medium mixture, cellular compartment, and in culture supernatant using a double-site sandwich ELISA specific for HRP2.

Histidine-rich protein II: a novel approach to malaria drug sensitivity testing.

The production of histidine-rich protein II (HRP2), a histidine- and alanine-rich protein produced by Plasmodium falciparum, is closely associated with the development and proliferation of the parasite and therefore is perfectly suited to reflect growth inhibition as a measure of drug susceptibility. It was the aim of the present study to develop a malaria drug sensitivity assay based on the measurement of HRP2 in a simple enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The new test proved to be as reliable as traditional in vitro assays, while it was considerably easier to establish and perform.