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Reiter-Owona I, Hlobil H, Enders M, Klarmann-Schulz U, Gruetzmacher B, Rilling V, Hoerauf A, Garweg JG. Sulfadiazine plasma concentrations in women with pregnancy-acquired compared to ocular toxoplasmosis under pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine therapy: a case-control study. Eur J Med Res 2020; 25:59. [PMID: 33228795 PMCID: PMC7686675 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-020-00458-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dosing recommendations for the treatment of pregnancy-acquired toxoplasmosis are empirical and widely based on experimental data. There are no pharmacological data on pregnant women with acute Toxoplasma gondii infection under treatment with pyrimethamine (PY) and sulfadiazine (SA) and our study intends to tighten this gap. Methods In this retrospective case–control study, we included 89 pregnant women with primary Toxoplasma infection (PT) treated with PY (50 mg first dose, then 25 mg/day), SA (50 mg/kg of body weight/day), and folinic acid (10–15 mg per week). These were compared to a group of 17 women with acute ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) treated with an initial PY dose of 75 mg, thereafter 25 mg twice a day but on the same SA and folinic acid regimen. The exact interval between drug intake and blood sampling and co-medication had not been recorded. Plasma levels of PY and SA were determined 14 ± 4 days after treatment initiation using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and compared using the Mann–Whitney U test at a p < 0.05 level. Results In 23 PT patients (26%), SA levels were below 20 mg/l. Fifteen of these 23 patients (17% of all patients) in parallel presented with PY levels below 700 µg/l. Both drug concentrations differed remarkably between individuals and groups (PY: PT median 810 µg/l, 95% CI for the median [745; 917] vs. OT 1230 µg/l [780; 1890], p = 0.006; SA: PT 46.2 mg/l [39.9; 54.4] vs. OT 70.4 mg/l [52.4; 89], p = 0.015) despite an identical SA dosing scheme. Conclusions SA plasma concentrations were found in the median 34% lower in pregnant women with PT compared to OT patients and fell below a lower reference value of 50 mg/l in a substantial portion of PT patients. The interindividual variability of plasma concentrations in combination with systematically lower drug levels and possibly a lower compliance in pregnant women may thus account for a still not yet supportable transmission risk. Systematic drug-level testing in PT under PY/SA treatment deserves to be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Reiter-Owona
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Martin Enders
- Labor Prof. Gisela Enders Und Kollegen, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Ute Klarmann-Schulz
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Institute for Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Deutsches Zentrum Für Infektionsforschung (DZIF) E. V., Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Barbara Gruetzmacher
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Deutsches Zentrum Für Infektionsforschung (DZIF) E. V., Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Justus G Garweg
- Swiss Eye Institute, Berner Augenklinik am Lindenhofspital, Bremgartenstrasse 119, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland. .,Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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Moore BR, Davis TM. Updated pharmacokinetic considerations for the use of antimalarial drugs in pregnant women. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2020; 16:741-758. [PMID: 32729740 DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2020.1802425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The association between pregnancy and altered drug pharmacokinetic (PK) properties is acknowledged, as is its impact on drug plasma concentrations and thus therapeutic efficacy. However, there have been few robust PK studies of antimalarial use in pregnancy. Given that inadequate dosing for prevention or treatment of malaria in pregnancy can result in negative maternal/infant outcomes, along with the potential to select for parasite drug resistance, it is imperative that reliable pregnancy-specific dosing recommendations are established. AREAS COVERED PK studies of antimalarial drugs in pregnancy. The present review summarizes the efficacy and PK properties of WHO-recommended therapies used in pregnancy, with a focus on PK studies published since 2014. EXPERT OPINION Changes in antimalarial drug disposition in pregnancy are well described, yet pregnant women continue to receive treatment regimens optimized for non-pregnant adults. Contemporary in silico modeling has recently identified a series of alternative dosing regimens that are predicted to provide optimal therapeutic efficacy for pregnant women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brioni R Moore
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University , Bentley, Western Australia, Australia.,Medical School, University of Western Australia , Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Timothy M Davis
- Medical School, University of Western Australia , Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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3
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Iida T, Nand RA, Ino H, Ogura H, Itoh H, Igarashi H, Numachi Y, Gross AS. Evaluation of the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of a Single Oral Dose of Pyrimethamine in Healthy Male Subjects of Japanese and European Ancestry. Clin Pharmacol Drug Dev 2020; 9:768-773. [PMID: 31950646 DOI: 10.1002/cpdd.771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The pharmacokinetics of pyrimethamine have been evaluated in various populations but have not been reported in subjects of Japanese ancestry following administration as a single-agent tablet. Furthermore, although pyrimethamine pharmacokinetics after a single dose of the single-agent tablet studied in Western countries have been reported, these studies are old, and the ancestry of the subjects was not specified. Consequently, this study investigated the pharmacokinetics and safety of a single oral 50-mg dose of pyrimethamine in healthy male subjects of Japanese and European ancestry. Seven subjects of each ancestry group were administered pyrimethamine, along with calcium folinate. After absorption, pyrimethamine was eliminated, with a mean half-life of 122.8 hours in Japanese subjects and 99.5 hours in European subjects. The mean Cmax and AUC0-t were 433.8 ng/mL and 59.63 µg·h/mL in Japanese subjects and 372.7 ng/mL and 42.83 µg·h/mL in European subjects. No safety concerns were reported during the study. Although pyrimethamine exposure was slightly higher in subjects of Japanese than of European ancestry, a considerable overlap in the range of parameter values was observed. Considering the range of pyrimethamine exposure reported previously, difference in exposure observed in this study would not be considered of note.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Iida
- Clinical Pharmacology Office, Medicines Development, Japan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Romina A Nand
- Clinical Pharmacology Modelling & Simulation, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Ermington, Australia
| | - Hiroko Ino
- Clinical Pharmacology Office, Medicines Development, Japan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Ogura
- Clinical Pharmacology Office, Medicines Development, Japan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Itoh
- Biomedical Data Sciences Department, Japan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Harue Igarashi
- Pre-Clinical Development Department, Japan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yotaro Numachi
- Medicines Development, Japan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Annette S Gross
- Clinical Pharmacology Modelling & Simulation, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Ermington, Australia
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Moore BR, Davis TME. Pharmacotherapy for the prevention of malaria in pregnant women: currently available drugs and challenges. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2018; 19:1779-1796. [PMID: 30289730 DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2018.1526923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Malaria in pregnancy continues to be a significant public health burden globally, with over 100 million women at risk each year. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is the only antimalarial recommended for intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy (IPTp) but increasing parasite resistance threatens its viability. There are few other available antimalarial therapies that currently have sufficient evidence of tolerability, safety, and efficacy to replace SP. AREAS COVERED Novel antimalarial combinations are under investigation for potential use as chemoprophylaxis and in IPTp regimens. The present review summarizes currently available therapies, emerging candidate combination therapies, and the potential challenges to integrating these into mainstream policy. EXPERT OPINION Alternative drugs or combination therapies to SP for IPTp are desperately required. Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and azithromycin-based combinations are showing great promise as potential candidates for IPTp but pharmacokinetic data suggest that dose modification may be required to ensure adequate prophylactic efficacy. If a suitable candidate regimen is not identified in the near future, the success of chemopreventive strategies such as IPTp may be in jeopardy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brioni R Moore
- a School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences , Curtin University , Bentley , Western Australia , Australia.,b Medical School , University of Western Australia , Crawley , Western Australia , Australia
| | - Timothy M E Davis
- b Medical School , University of Western Australia , Crawley , Western Australia , Australia
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D'Alessandro U, Hill J, Tarning J, Pell C, Webster J, Gutman J, Sevene E. Treatment of uncomplicated and severe malaria during pregnancy. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2018; 18:e133-e146. [PMID: 29395998 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(18)30065-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 10 years, the available evidence on the treatment of malaria during pregnancy has increased substantially. Owing to their relative ease of use, good sensitivity and specificity, histidine rich protein 2 based rapid diagnostic tests are appropriate for symptomatic pregnant women; however, such tests are less appropriate for systematic screening because they will not detect an important proportion of infections among asymptomatic women. The effect of pregnancy on the pharmacokinetics of antimalarial drugs varies greatly between studies and class of antimalarial drugs, emphasising the need for prospective studies in pregnant and non-pregnant women. For the treatment of malaria during the first trimester, international guidelines are being reviewed by WHO. For the second and third trimester of pregnancy, results from several trials have confirmed that artemisinin-based combination treatments are safe and efficacious, although tolerability and efficacy might vary by treatment. It is now essential to translate such evidence into policies and clinical practice that benefit pregnant women in countries where malaria is endemic. Access to parasitological diagnosis or appropriate antimalarial treatment remains low in many countries and regions. Therefore, there is a pressing need for research to identify quality improvement interventions targeting pregnant women and health providers. In addition, efficient and practical systems for pharmacovigilance are needed to further expand knowledge on the safety of antimalarial drugs, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umberto D'Alessandro
- Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, The Gambia; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Jenny Hill
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Joel Tarning
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Centre for Tropical Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christopher Pell
- Centre for Social Science and Global Health, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jayne Webster
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Julie Gutman
- Malaria Branch, US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Esperanca Sevene
- Manhiça Health Research Center (CISM), Manhiça, Mozambique; Faculty of Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
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Salman S, Davis TME. Regarding "Lactation Status and Studies of Pyrimethamine Pharmacokinetics in Pregnancy". CPT-PHARMACOMETRICS & SYSTEMS PHARMACOLOGY 2017; 6:730. [PMID: 29064165 PMCID: PMC5702900 DOI: 10.1002/psp4.12257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sam Salman
- University of Western Australia, Medical School, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Timothy M E Davis
- University of Western Australia, Medical School, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
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7
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Sugiarto SR, Davis TME, Salman S. Pharmacokinetic considerations for use of artemisinin-based combination therapies against falciparum malaria in different ethnic populations. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2017; 13:1115-1133. [PMID: 29027504 DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2017.1391212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is used extensively as first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. There has been no rigorous assessment of the potential for racial/ethnic differences in the pharmacokinetic properties of ACTs that might influence their efficacy. Areas covered: A comprehensive literature search was performed that identified 72 publications in which the geographical origin of the patients could be ascertained and the key pharmacokinetic parameters maximum drug concentration (Cmax), area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and elimination half-life (t½β) were available for one or more of the five WHO-recommended ACTs (artemether-lumefantrine, artesunate-amodiaquine, artesunate-mefloquine, dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and artesunate-sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine). Comparisons of each of the three pharmacokinetic parameters of interest were made by drug (artemisinin derivative and long half-life partner), race/ethnicity (African, Asian, Caucasian, Melanesian, South American) and patient categories based on age and pregnancy status. Expert opinion: The review identified no evidence of a clinically significant influence of race/ethnicity on the pharmacokinetic properties of the nine component drugs in the five ACTs currently recommended by WHO for first-line treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria. This provides reassurance for health workers in malaria-endemic regions that ACTs can be given in recommended doses with the expectation of adequate blood concentrations regardless of race/ethnicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sri Riyati Sugiarto
- a Medical School , University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital , Fremantle , Australia
| | - Timothy M E Davis
- a Medical School , University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital , Fremantle , Australia
| | - Sam Salman
- a Medical School , University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital , Fremantle , Australia
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de Kock M, Tarning J, Workman L, Nyunt MM, Adam I, Barnes KI, Denti P. Pharmacokinetics of Sulfadoxine and Pyrimethamine for Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria During Pregnancy and After Delivery. CPT-PHARMACOMETRICS & SYSTEMS PHARMACOLOGY 2017; 6:430-438. [PMID: 28597978 PMCID: PMC5529735 DOI: 10.1002/psp4.12181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine is recommended for intermittent preventative treatment of malaria during pregnancy. Data from 98 women during pregnancy and 77 after delivery in four African countries were analyzed using nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling to characterize the effects of pregnancy, postpartum duration, and other covariates such as body weight and hematocrit on sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine pharmacokinetic properties. During pregnancy, clearance increased 3‐fold for sulfadoxine but decreased by 18% for pyrimethamine. Postpartum sulfadoxine clearance decreased gradually over 13 weeks. This finding, together with hematocrit‐based scaling of plasma to whole‐blood concentrations and allometric scaling of pharmacokinetics parameters with body weight, enabled site‐specific differences in the pharmacokinetic profiles to be reduced significantly but not eliminated. Further research is necessary to explain residual site‐specific differences and elucidate whether dose‐optimization, to address the 3‐fold increase in clearance of sulfadoxine in pregnant women, is necessary, viable, and safe with the current fixed dose combination of sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- M de Kock
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), Oxford, UK
| | - J Tarning
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), Oxford, UK
| | - L Workman
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), Oxford, UK
| | - M M Nyunt
- Institute for Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - I Adam
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - K I Barnes
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), Oxford, UK
| | - P Denti
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), Oxford, UK
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Salman S, Baiwog F, Page-Sharp M, Griffin S, Karunajeewa HA, Mueller I, Rogerson SJ, Siba PM, Ilett KF, Davis TME. Optimal Antimalarial Dose Regimens for Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine with or without Azithromycin in Pregnancy Based on Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 61:e02291-16. [PMID: 28242669 PMCID: PMC5404578 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02291-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Optimal dosing of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) as intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy remains to be established, particularly when coadministered with azithromycin (AZI). To further characterize SP pharmacokinetics in pregnancy, plasma concentration-time data from 45 nonpregnant and 45 pregnant women treated with SP-AZI (n = 15 in each group) and SP-chloroquine (n = 30 in each group) were analyzed. Population nonlinear mixed-effect pharmacokinetic models were developed for pyrimethamine (PYR), sulfadoxine (SDOX), and N-acetylsulfadoxine (the SDOX metabolite NASDOX), and potential covariates were included. Pregnancy increased the relative clearance (CL/F) of PYR, SDOX, and NASDOX by 48, 29, and 70%, respectively, as well as the relative volumes of distribution (V/F) of PYR (46 and 99%) and NASDOX (46%). Coadministration of AZI resulted in a greater increase in PYR CL/F (80%) and also increased NASDOX V/F by 76%. Apparent differences between these results and those of published studies of SP disposition may reflect key differences in study design, including the use of an early postpartum follow-up study rather than a nonpregnant comparator group. Simulations based on the final population model demonstrated that, compared to conventional single-dose SP in nonpregnant women, two such doses given 24 h apart should ensure that pregnant women have similar drug exposure, while three daily SP doses may be required if SP is given with AZI. The results of past and ongoing trials using recommended adult SP doses with or without AZI in pregnant women may need to be interpreted in light of these findings and consideration given to using increased doses in future trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Salman
- School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Francisca Baiwog
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Madhu Page-Sharp
- School of Pharmacy, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Susan Griffin
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Harin A Karunajeewa
- Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGLOBAL), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stephen J Rogerson
- Department of Medicine (RMH), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter M Siba
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Kenneth F Ilett
- School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Timothy M E Davis
- School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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Burden of Placental Malaria among Pregnant Women Who Use or Do Not Use Intermittent Preventive Treatment at Mulago Hospital, Kampala. Malar Res Treat 2016; 2016:1839795. [PMID: 28070444 PMCID: PMC5187478 DOI: 10.1155/2016/1839795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP-IPTp) is widely used to reduce the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes. As a monitor for continued effectiveness of this intervention amidst SP resistance, we aimed to assess malaria burden among pregnant women who use or do not use SP-IPTp. In a descriptive cohort study at Mulago Hospital, Kampala, 87 women who received two supervised doses of SP-IPTp were followed up until delivery. Controls were pregnant women presenting in early labour without history of SP-IPTp. Histopathological investigation for placental malaria (PM) was performed using the Bulmer classification criterion. Thirty-eight of the 87 women returned for delivery and 33 placentas were successfully collected and processed along with 33 placentas from SP nonusers. Overall, 12% (4/33) of the users had evidence of PM compared to 48% (16/33) of nonusers. Among nonusers, 17/33, 8/33, 2/33, and 6/33 had no placental infection, active infection, active-chronic infection, and past-chronic infection, respectively. Among users, respective proportions were 29/33, 2/33, 0/33, and 2/33. No difference in birth weights was apparent between the two groups, probably due to a higher proportion of infections occurring later in pregnancy. Histological evidence here suggests that SP continues to offer substantial benefit as IPTp.
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