Rationale for recommending a lower dose of primaquine as a Plasmodium falciparum gametocytocide in populations where G6PD deficiency is common.

Journal article

In areas of low malaria transmission, it is currently recommended that a single dose of primaquine (0.75 mg base/kg; 45 mg adult dose) be added to artemisinin combination treatment (ACT) in acute falciparum malaria to block malaria transmission. Review of studies of transmission-blocking activity based on the infectivity of patients or volunteers to anopheline mosquitoes, and of haemolytic toxicity in glucose 6-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient subjects, suggests that a lower primaquine dose (0.25 mg base/kg) would be safer and equally effective. This lower dose could be deployed together with ACTs without G6PD testing wherever use of a specific gametocytocide is indicated.

Authors: White, N; Qiao, L; Qi, G; Luzzatto, L

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Malaria journal
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 418
• Publication date: 2012-01-01
• DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-11-418
• EISSN: 1475-2875
• ISSN: 1475-2875
• Language: English
• Keywords: Parasitemia; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Adult; Insect Vectors; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency; Male; Antimalarials; Primaquine; Anemia, Hemolytic; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; Humans; Anopheles; Artemisinins; Malaria, Falciparum; Animals; Plasmodium falciparum