Early treatment failure during treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria with atovaquone-proguanil in the Republic of Ivory Coast

Malar J. 2012 May 2:11:146. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-11-146.

Abstract

The increased spread of drug-resistant malaria highlights the need for alternative drugs for treatment and chemoprophylaxis. The combination of atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone®) has shown high efficacy against Plasmodium falciparum with only mild side-effects. Treatment failures have been attributed to suboptimal dosages or to parasite resistance resulting from a point mutation in the cytochrome b gene. In this paper, a case of early treatment failure was reported in a patient treated with atovaquone-proguanil; this failure was not associated with a mutation in the parasite cytochrome b gene, with impaired drug bioavailability, or with re-infection.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antimalarials / administration & dosage*
  • Atovaquone / administration & dosage*
  • Cote d'Ivoire
  • Cytochromes b / genetics
  • Drug Combinations
  • Humans
  • Malaria, Falciparum / drug therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Plasmodium falciparum / drug effects
  • Plasmodium falciparum / genetics
  • Proguanil / administration & dosage*
  • Treatment Failure

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Drug Combinations
  • atovaquone, proguanil drug combination
  • Cytochromes b
  • Proguanil
  • Atovaquone