The efficacies of artesunate–sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine and artemether–lumefantrine in the treatment of uncomplicated, Plasmodium falciparum malaria, in an area of low transmission in central Sudan

Abstract

In an efficacy trial of artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACT) in central Sudan, cases of uncomplicated, Plasmodium falciparum malaria were given artesunate–sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (ASP) or artemether–lumefantrine (AL) as first-line treatment. On enrolment, the 71 patients given ASP were similar to the 72 given AL, apart from having generally lower parasitaemias (geometric mean counts of 4893 ν. 10,215 asexual parasites/μl) and having a lower mean age (15 ν. 23 years). Each patient was treated on days 0, 1 and 2, and all 137 who completed follow-up without further, unscheduled treatment were found aparasitaemic and afebrile from day 2 until the last follow-up, on day 28. No moderate or severe adverse side-effects, clinical failures or parasitological failures were observed among these 137 patients. ACT therefore appear both efficacious and safe for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in central Sudan.