Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Di Perri, G.
Right arrow Articles by Concia, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Di Perri, G.
Right arrow Articles by Concia, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (1999) 44, 573-576
© 1999 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Brief report

Rapid absorption and clinical effectiveness of intragastric mefloquine in the treament of cerebral malaria in African children

Giovanni Di Perria,*, Piero Olliarob, Stephen Wardc, Benedetta Allegranzia, Stefano Bonoraa and Ercole Conciaa

a The Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases of the University of Verona, Italy b UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, Geneva, Switzerland c Department of Pharmacology of the University of Liverpool, UK

To obviate the lack of injectable quinine in a hospital in rural Burundi, mefloquine, only available as an oral formulation, was administered (25 mg/kg bodyweight) as a single dose by nasogastric tube to four small children with cerebral malaria. All patients recovered uneventfully after a mean coma duration of 20.5 h. Mefloquine was rapidly absorbed and therapeutic serum concentrations were achieved within a few hours in all subjects, with parasite reduction ratios after 48 h within the expected range for drug-sensitive parasites. These findings suggest that intragastric mefloquine deserves consideration whenever parenteral drugs are not available for the treatment of cerebral malaria.

Correspondence address. Cattdra di Malattie Infettive, Università di Verona, Ospedale Civile Maggiore, 37126 Verona, Italy. Tel: +39-045-8072073; Fax: +39-045-8340223; E-mail: diperri{at}borgotrento.univ


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.