Possible artemisinin-based combination therapy-resistant malaria in Nigeria: a report of three cases

• Main Authors: Nnennaya Anthony Ajayi, Kingsley Nnanna Ukwaja
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2013-07-01
• Series: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Subjects: Malaria; Artemisinin-based combination therapy; Artemether-lumefantrine; Early treatment failure; Resistance; Nigeria
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822013000400525&lng=en&tlng=en

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.