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Current trends in malarial
chemotherapy
Emmanuel C. Ibezim* and Uche Odo
Department
of Pharmaceutics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu
State, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
ecibezim@yahoo.com,
Phone: 08043180657.
Accepted
21 August, 2006 |
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Malaria is a tropical disease caused by the genus
Plasmodium. The sexual stage of the plasmodium is
carried by mosquito while the asexual stage is carried by
man. Transmission from the mosquito to man is through
mosquito bite. Commonly presented symptoms of malarial
attack include fever, weakness, anorexia, and anaemia. Some
complications such as convulsion (in children) and acute
pulmonary edema are common. The conventional drugs used in
malarial chemotherapy include, chloroquin, sulfadoxine/pyramethamine,
quinine and primaquine. Newer drugs in use include
artemisine and its derivatives (such as dihydroartemisinine,
artesunate, artemether), halofantrine, atovaquine, malaria
vaccines, and artemisinine combinations (such as artemether/lumenfantrine,
artesunate/mefloquine). These newer drugs were developed
based on some shortcomings of the conventional drugs such as
drug resistance and unbearable side effects. Of all the
drugs available for the first line treatment of malaria, the
artemisinine combinations are the drugs of choice as they
possess reduced recrudescence and relapse when given for 3
days. Some new combinations are still on trial and include
fosmidomycin/clindamycin. Malaria vaccines which show some
promising features are also still undergoing more trials.
Key
words:
malaria, chemotherapy, combination therapy, artemisinine,
resistance. |
