HIV infection may adversely affect clinical response to chloroquine therapy for uncomplicated malaria in children

Abstract

A report has noted that despite increasing resistance chloroquine remains the first-line therapy for malaria in most African countries. Impaired immunity resulting from HIV infection could lead to a decreased response to chloroquine rendering this relatively safe and inexpensive antimalarial agent ineffective. This paper presents a study that assessed the clinical response to chloroquine therapy among HIV-infected and uninfected individuals. It is a secondary analysis entailing retrospective HIV-1 antibody testing of stored blood specimens from patients who received standard chloroquine therapy (25 mg/kg). The subjects were participants of two completed studies conducted at Old Mulago Hill dispensary in Kampala Uganda. Overall data results suggest that treatment of falciparum malaria with chloroquine may be less effective among HIV-positive children under 5 years of age compared with HIV-negative children but should be confirmed in larger studies.