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To obviate the lack of injectable quinine in a hospital in rural Burundi, mefloquine, only available as an oral formulation, was administered (25 mg/kg bodyweight) as a single dose by nasogastric tube to four small children with cerebral malaria. All patients recovered uneventfully after a mean coma duration of 20.5 h. Mefloquine was rapidly absorbed and therapeutic serum concentrations were achieved within a few hours in all subjects, with parasite reduction ratios after 48 h within the expected range for drug-sensitive parasites. These findings suggest that intragastric mefloquine deserves consideration whenever parenteral drugs are not available for the treatment of cerebral malaria.

Original publication

DOI

10.1093/jac/44.4.573

Type

Journal article

Journal

The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy

Publication Date

10/1999

Volume

44

Pages

573 - 576

Addresses

The Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases of the University of Verona, Italy. diperri@borgotrento.univ

Keywords

Humans, Malaria, Cerebral, Mefloquine, Antimalarials, Absorption, Child, Preschool, Infant