Infection with O. volvulus does not affect the pharmacokinetics of ivermectin, and filarial infected tissues and parasites themselves do take up the drug. There may be prolonged retention of ivermectin because of depot formation in fat tissue.
Chloroquine bioavailability in healthy males was examined following oral coadministration of 600 mg with three common Sudanese beverages, Aradaib (Tamarindus indica), Karkadi (Hibiscus sabdarifa) and Lemon (Citrus limetta) and drinking water. The tablets and beverages were taken on an empty stomach after an overnight fast. The plasma chloroquine concentrations were measured by HPLC. The extent and rate of chloroquine bioavailability were described by the area under the plasma concentrations versus time curve (AUC), the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and with the time to reach Cmax (Tmax), respectively. The mean (+/- S.E.) AUC values after administration with water (control) and Aradaib, Karkadi and Lemon, respectively, were 7.52 +/- 0.87, 2.60 +/- 0.24, 2.16 +/- 0.30 and 2.41 +/- 0.29 mg.h/L. The corresponding mean Cmax values were 553 +/- 17.8, 184 +/- 21.3, 148 +/- 14.1 and 210 +/- 17.4 mg/L and the corresponding Tmax values were 3.0 +/- 1.0, 3.2 +/- 1.2, 2.6 +/- 0.8 and 2.5 +/- 1.0 h. The results indicate a statistically significant reduction in the AUC and Cmax of chloroquine as a result of a coadministration with each of the three beverages. A parallel reduction in the drugs antimalarial efficacy might be expected.
The northernmost focus for Onchocerca volvulus Leuckhart (Nematoda: Onchocercidae), the causative agent of human onchocerciasis, is found along the Nile near the town of Abu Hamed in Sudan. The vector for O. volvulus at this focus is a single monomorphic population of Simulium (Edwardsellum) damnosum Theobald. This black fly population is limited to a small area between the fourth and fifth cataracts of the Nile River that is isolated geographically from all other populations of S. damnosum sensu lato. Phylogenies produced from cytological analyses and sequence data derived from the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 and 16S rRNA genes indicate that Abu Hamed black flies are similar to, but distinct from, the savanna-dwelling sibling species of S. damnosum s.l., Simulium (Edwardsellum) damnosum sensu strictu Theobald, and S. (Edwardsellum) sirbanum Vajime & Dunbar. The DNA sequence and the cytological data support the hypothesis that the black fly population present in Abu Hamed may represent a new sibling species of S. damnosum s.l. We propose that this population be informally designated as the hamedense form of the Simulium damnosum complex.
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