Possible artemisinin-based combination therapy-resistant malaria in Nigeria: a report of three cases
- Resource Type
- report
- Authors
- Ajayi, Nnennaya Anthony; Ukwaja, Kingsley Nnanna
- Source
- Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical. August 2013 46(4)
- Subject
- Malaria
Artemisinin-based combination therapy
Artemether-lumefantrine
Early treatment failure
Resistance
Nigeria
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0037-8682
Artemisinin-based combination therapy-resistant malaria is rare in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization identifies monitoring and surveillance using day-3 parasitaemia post-treatment as the standard test for identifying suspected artemisinin resistance. We report three cases of early treatment failure due to possible artemisinin-based combination therapy-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. All cases showed adequate clinical and parasitological responses to quinine. This study reveals a need to re-evaluate the quality and efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy agents in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.