Sulfadoxine/Pyrimethamine Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Malaria during Pregnancy

• Main Authors: Philippe Deloron, Gwladys Bertin, Valérie Briand, Achille Massougbodji, Michel Cot
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010-11-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Malaria; pregnancy; prevention; sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine; intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy; parasites
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/16/11/10-1064_article

For monitoring efficacy of sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine intermittent preventive treatment for malaria during pregnancy, data obtained from studies of children seemed inadequate. High prevalence of triple and quadruple mutants in the dihydropteroate synthase and dihydrofolate reductase genes of Plasmodium falciparum parasites contrasts with the efficacy of sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine in reducing low birthweights and placental infection rates. In light of this discrepancy, emphasis on using molecular markers for monitoring efficacy of intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy appears questionable. The World Health Organization recently proposed conducting in vivo studies in pregnant women to evaluate molecular markers for detecting resistance precociously. Other possible alternative strategies are considered.