Treatment of Acute Falciparum Malaria from Vietnam with Trimethoprim and Sulfalene *

Abstract

Trimethoprim and sulfalene were administered to 36 patients with falciparum malaria from Vietnam. Twenty-six nonimmune patients received a single dose of 1.5 g of trimethoprim and 1.0 g of sulfalene. Ten semi-immune patients received from 1.5 to 4.5 g of trimethoprim and 3.0 g of sulfalene during 3 to 5 days. Response to therapy was prompt in all patients except one, but the over-all recrudescence rate was 28%. This combination does not appear to be as effective for treatment of drug-resistant infections with Plasmodium falciparum as the presently accepted primary treatment regimen used in U. S. Army personnel in Vietnam. It may be effective in the treatment of some patients who have had repeated recrudescences after therapy with quinine, pyrimethamine, and either a sulfonamide or diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS).