The Transmission of Artemisinin Resistant Parasites Before and After Conventional Artemisinin-combination Therapy

Launched by INFECTIOUS DISEASES RESEARCH COLLABORATION, UGANDA · Mar 29, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how well conventional malaria treatments work against parasites that have become resistant to the main malaria drugs called artemisinins. Researchers will recruit patients with uncomplicated malaria who are being treated with standard combination therapies in a clinic. They will look at the ability of these resistant parasites to spread before, during, and after treatment. Participants will be monitored closely for seven days to see how well the treatment clears the infection and how it impacts the transmission of the disease.

To be eligible for the trial, participants must be at least 2 years old and have been diagnosed with a specific type of malaria called P. falciparum, confirmed by a blood test. They should also have a fever or recent history of fever and be able to take oral medication. Participants will receive supervised treatment and will have their progress checked regularly. This study is important because it aims to understand how resistant malaria strains behave, which can help improve future treatments and control the spread of malaria.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • age ≥2 years
• • blood smear positive for P. falciparum gametocytes
• • mono-infection with P. falciparum confirmed by positive blood smear;
• • parasitaemia of \>100 P. falciparum asexual forms/µL;
• • ability to swallow oral medication;
• • ability and willingness to comply with the study protocol for the duration of the study and to comply with the study visit schedule;
• • informed consent from parent or guardian;
• • haemoglobin ≥ 7.0 g/dl for children below 10 years of age or ≥8.0g/dL for older individuals
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • presence of general danger signs;
• • mixed or mono-infection with another Plasmodium species detected by microscopy;
• • presence of severe malnutrition defined as a very low weight for height (below -3z scores of the median WHO growth standards), by visible severe wasting, or by the presence of nutritional oedema.
• • presence of febrile conditions due to diseases other than malaria (e.g. measles, acute lower respiratory tract infection, severe diarrhoea with dehydration) or other known underlying chronic or severe diseases (e.g. cardiac, renal and hepatic diseases, HIV/AIDS);
• • history of hypersensitivity reactions or contraindications to any of the medicine(s) being tested