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  • Efficacy of Single-Dose Pri...
    Stepniewska, Kasia; Humphreys, Georgina S; Gonçalves, Bronner P; Craig, Elaine; Gosling, Roly; Guerin, Philippe J; Price, Ric N; Barnes, Karen I; Raman, Jaishree; Smit, Menno R; D’Alessandro, Umberto; Stone, Will J R; Bjorkman, Anders; Samuels, Aaron M; Arroyo-Arroyo, Maria I; Bastiaens, Guido J H; Brown, Joelle M; Dicko, Alassane; El-Sayed, Badria B; Elzaki, Salah-Eldin G; Eziefula, Alice C; Kariuki, Simon; Kwambai, Titus K; Maestre, Amanda E; Martensson, Andreas; Mosha, Dominic; Mwaiswelo, Richard O; Ngasala, Billy E; Okebe, Joseph; Roh, Michelle E; Sawa, Patrick; Tiono, Alfred B; Chen, Ingrid; Drakeley, Chris J; Bousema, Teun

    The Journal of infectious diseases, 04/2022, Volume: 225, Issue: 7
    Journal Article

    Abstract Background Since the World Health Organization recommended single low-dose (0.25 mg/kg) primaquine (PQ) in combination with artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in areas of low transmission or artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum, several single-site studies have been conducted to assess efficacy. Methods An individual patient meta-analysis to assess gametocytocidal and transmission-blocking efficacy of PQ in combination with different ACTs was conducted. Random effects logistic regression was used to quantify PQ effect on (1) gametocyte carriage in the first 2 weeks post treatment; and (2) the probability of infecting at least 1 mosquito or of a mosquito becoming infected. Results In 2574 participants from 14 studies, PQ reduced PCR-determined gametocyte carriage on days 7 and 14, most apparently in patients presenting with gametocytemia on day 0 (odds ratio OR, 0.22; 95% confidence interval CI, .17–.28 and OR, 0.12; 95% CI, .08–.16, respectively). Rate of decline in gametocyte carriage was faster when PQ was combined with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) compared to dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) (P = .010 for day 7). Addition of 0.25 mg/kg PQ was associated with near complete prevention of transmission to mosquitoes. Conclusions Transmission blocking is achieved with 0.25 mg/kg PQ. Gametocyte persistence and infectivity are lower when PQ is combined with AL compared to DP. An individual patient meta-analysis was performed on the gametocytocidal and transmission-blocking activities of single-dose primaquine. Gametocyte persistence and infectivity depended on the artemisinin-combination therapy that primaquine was administered with. Primaquine’s transmission-blocking effects were achieved at 0.25 mg/kg.