Falciparum malaria treated with a fixed combination of mefloquine, sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine: a field study in adults in Burma.

In a field study conducted in Burma, 54 semi-immune adults suffering from falciparum malaria (mean parasite count, 15 328/mm(3) before treatment) were given a single dose of a fixed combination of 750 mg mefloquine base, 1500 mg sulfadoxine, and 75 mg pyrimethamine (3 tablets of Fansimef). All these patients were cleared of asexual parasites by day 7, giving a cure rate of 100%; the mean clearance time was 2.6 days. Reappearance of parasitaemia occurred in 10 patients on or before day 7 and persisted for one day in 8 of them and for two days in 2 patients. It eventually disappeared without further treatment. No recrudescence occurred during the follow-up time of four weeks despite the fact that there was active transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in the area throughout the whole of the study period. The drug was generally well tolerated, though mild to moderate giddiness was reported by 49 patients (90.7%) and severe giddiness by 3 patients (5.5%). Nausea occurred in 25 patients (46.3%) and vomiting in 17 (31.5%).