Summaryobjective To assess the efficacy of chloroquine in the treatment of Plasmodium vivax malaria in in Dawei District, southern Myanmar.methods Enrolled patients at Sonsinphya clinic >6 months of age were assessed clinically and parasitologically every week for 28 days. To differentiate new infections from recrudescence, we genotyped pre-and post-treatment parasitaemia. Blood chloroquine was measured to confirm resistant strains.results Between December 2002 and April 2003, 2661 patients were screened, of whom 252 were included and 235 analysed. Thirty-four per cent (95% CI: 28.1-40.6) of patients had recurrent parasitaemia and were considered treatment failures. 59.4% of these recurrences were with a different parasite strain. Two (0.8%) patients with recurrences on day 14 had chloroquine concentrations above the threshold of 100 ng ⁄ ml and were considered infected with chloroquine resistant parasites. 21% of failures occurred during the first 3 weeks of follow-up: early recurrence and median levels of blood chloroquine comparable to those of controls suggested P. vivax resistance.conclusions Plasmodium vivax resistance to chloroquine seems to be emerging in Dawei, near the Thai-Burmese border. While chloroquine remains the first-line drug for P. vivax infections in this area of Myanmar, regular monitoring is needed to detect further development of parasite resistance.
The diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense relies on an initial serologic screening with the card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (CATT) for T. b. gambiense, followed by parasitologic confirmation in most endemic areas. Unfortunately, field parasitologic methods lack sensitivity and the management of serologically suspected individuals (i.e., individuals with a positive CATT result but negative parasitology) remains controversial. In Kajo-Keji County in southern Sudan, we prospectively collected sociodemographic and laboratory data of a cohort of 2,274 serologically suspected individuals. Thirty-three percent (n = 749) attended at least one follow-up visit and HAT was confirmed in 64 (9%) cases. Individuals with lower initial CATT-plasma (CATT-P) end-dilution titers had lowest risks (10.4 and 13.8/100 person-years for 1:4 and 1:8 titers, respectively) that significantly increased for higher dilutions: relative risks = 5.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.6-9.5) and 4.6 (95% CI = 2.8-9.8) for 1:16 and 1:32 titers, respectively. The cumulative yearly risk was also high (76%) in individuals found with 11-20 cells in the cerebrospinal fluid, but this involved only eight patients. Adjustment for potential confounders did not affect the results. In conclusion, treatment with pentamidine should be considered for all serologically suspected individuals with a CATT-P end-dilution titer >/= 1:16 in areas of a moderate to high prevalence of HAT.
BackgroundActive screening by mobile teams is considered the best method for detecting human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense but the current funding context in many post-conflict countries limits this approach. As an alternative, non-specialist health care workers (HCWs) in peripheral health facilities could be trained to identify potential cases who need testing based on their symptoms. We explored the predictive value of syndromic referral algorithms to identify symptomatic cases of HAT among a treatment-seeking population in Nimule, South Sudan.Methodology/Principal FindingsSymptom data from 462 patients (27 cases) presenting for a HAT test via passive screening over a 7 month period were collected to construct and evaluate over 14,000 four item syndromic algorithms considered simple enough to be used by peripheral HCWs. For comparison, algorithms developed in other settings were also tested on our data, and a panel of expert HAT clinicians were asked to make referral decisions based on the symptom dataset. The best performing algorithms consisted of three core symptoms (sleep problems, neurological problems and weight loss), with or without a history of oedema, cervical adenopathy or proximity to livestock. They had a sensitivity of 88.9–92.6%, a negative predictive value of up to 98.8% and a positive predictive value in this context of 8.4–8.7%. In terms of sensitivity, these out-performed more complex algorithms identified in other studies, as well as the expert panel. The best-performing algorithm is predicted to identify about 9/10 treatment-seeking HAT cases, though only 1/10 patients referred would test positive.Conclusions/SignificanceIn the absence of regular active screening, improving referrals of HAT patients through other means is essential. Systematic use of syndromic algorithms by peripheral HCWs has the potential to increase case detection and would increase their participation in HAT programmes. The algorithms proposed here, though promising, should be validated elsewhere.
Summary Most Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) control programmes in areas endemic for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense rely on a strategy of active mass screening with the Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT)/T. b. gambiense. We evaluated the performance, stability and reproducibility of the CATT/T. b. gambiense on blood‐impregnated filter papers (CATT‐FP) in Kajo‐Keji County, South‐Sudan, where some areas are inaccessible to mobile teams. The CATT‐FP was performed with a group of 100 people with a positive CATT on whole blood including 17 confirmed HAT patients and the results were compared with the CATT on plasma (CATT‐P). The CATT‐FP was repeated on impregnated filter papers stored at ambient and refrigerated temperature for 1, 3, 7 and 14 days. Another 82 patients with HAT, including 78 with a positive parasitology, were tested with the CATT‐FP and duplicate filter paper samples were sent to a reference laboratory to assess reproducibility. The CATT‐FP was positive in 90 of 99 patients with HAT (sensitivity: 91%). It was less sensitive than the CATT‐P (mean dilution difference: −2.5). There was no significant loss of sensitivity after storage for up to 14 days both at ambient and cool temperature. Reproducibility of the CATT‐FP was found to be excellent (kappa: 0.84). The CATT‐FP can therefore be recommended as a screening test for HAT in areas where the use of CATT‐P is not possible. Further studies on larger population samples in different endemic foci are still needed before the CATT‐FP can be recommended for universal use.
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