In vitro delayed response to dihydroartemisinin of malaria parasites infecting sickle cell erythocytes.

Background: Decreased efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for Plasmodium falciparum malaria has been previously reported in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The main purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro susceptibility of isolates to dihydro-artemisinin (DHA) to provide a hypothesis to explain this treatment failure.

Methods: Isolates were collected from patients attending health centres in Abidjan with uncomplicated P.