In vitro drug response of Plasmodium falciparum in the Philippines: increased resistance to amodiaquine.

A long term study was carried out at San Lazaro Hospital, Manila, Philippines, monitoring the in vitro response of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine, amodiaquine, mefloquine, and quinine. The in vitro effective dose giving 50% inhibition of schizogony was: 0.68 X 10(-6) M/liter blood for chloroquine; 0.18 X 10(-6) for amodiaquine; 0.2 X 10(-6) for mefloquine; and 1.12 X 10(-6) for quinine. The percent of isolates determined to be resistant in vitro was 85.2% for chloroquine, and 1.2% for both mefloquine and quinine. These figures were relatively unchanged over the course of 3 years studied. The in vitro resistance rate to amodiaquine increased from 5.1% in 1982 to 22.2% in 1984.