Fluoroquinolones for Malaria: The Newest Kid on the Block?
Authors: David J. Wyler
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1989)

Editorials15 August 1989Fluoroquinolones for Malaria: The Newest Kid on the Block?David J. Wyler, MDDavid J. Wyler, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-111-4-269 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptMalaria has been a scourge probably since the dawn of mankind. The earliest recorded history resides in cuneiform tablets dating back to 2000 BC that describe malarial fevers in Mesopotamia (1). One can well imagine that the profound acute morbidity and high mortality of falciparum malaria was a stimulus for man's earliest empiric efforts to find curative herbs. Quinine-the active alkaloid of the cinchona bark used empirically in treating periodic fevers-is a legacy of the centuries of struggle to identify febrifuges and plants with antimalarial properties. Today, with the emergence and dissemination of multidrug-resistant strains ofPlasmodium falciparum(2), quinine...References1. Bruce-Chwatt L. History of malaria from prehistory to eradication. In: Wernsdorfer WH, McGregor I, eds. Malaria: Principles and Practice of Malariology. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1988:1-59. Google Scholar2. WernsdorferKouznetsov WR. Drug-resistant malaria-occurrence, control, and surveillance. Bull WHO. 1980;58:341-52. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. JiangLiGuoKongArnold JGXYK. Antimalarial activity of mefloquine and qinghaosu. Lancet. 1982;2:285-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Wyler D. The ascent and decline of chloroquine. JAMA. 1984;251:2420-2. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. HarinasutaBunnagWernsdorfer TDW. A phase II clinical trial of mefloquine in patients with chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria in Thailand. Bull WHO. 1983;61:299-305. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. BygbjergSchapiraFlachsGommeJepsen IAHGS. Mefloquine resistance of falciparum malaria from Tanzania enhanced by treatment [Letter]. Lancet. 1983;1:774-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. CooperCoatneyImbodenJeffrey WGCG. Aureomycin in experimental Chesson strain vivax malaria. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biological Medicine. 1949;72:587-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. MillerGlewWyler LRD. Evaluation of clindamycin in combination with quinine against multidrug-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1974;23:565-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. SuebsaengWernsdorferRooney LWW. Sensitivity to quinine and mefloquine of Plasmodium falciparum in Thailand. Bull WHO. 1986;64:759-65. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. PangLimsomwongBoudreauSingharaj LNEP. Doxycycline prophylaxis for falciparum malaria. Lancet. 1987;2:1161-4. CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. Sarma P. Norfloxacin: a new drug in the treatment of falciparum malaria. Ann Intern Med. 1989;111:336-337. LinkGoogle Scholar12. DivoSartorelliPattonBia AACF. Activity of fluoroquinolone antibiotics against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1988;32:1182-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. MidgleyKeterPhillipsonGrantWarhurst JDJSD. Quinolones and multiresistant Plasmodium falciparum [Letter]. Lancet. 1988;2:281. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. WolfsonHooper JD. Norfloxacin: a new targeted fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agent. Ann Intern Med. 1988;108:238-51. LinkGoogle Scholar15. RiouGabi IlotPhilippeSchrevelRiou JMMJG. Purification and characterization of Plasmodium berghei DNA topoisomerase I and II: drug action, inhibition of decatenation and relaxation, and stimulation of DNA cleavage. Biochemistry. 1986;25:1471-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. Harrison G. Mosquitos, Malaria, and Man: A History of Hostilities Since 1880. New York: Dutton; 1978. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: New England Medical Center Hospitals Boston, Massachusetts Nextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByRepositioning of fluoroquinolones from antibiotic to anti-cancer agents: An underestimated truthThe MitochondrionZur Bedeutung des Cycloaracylierungsverfahrens f�r die Synthese moderner FluorchinoloneCiprofloxacin does not achieve radical cure of Plasmodium falciparum infection in Sierra LeoneNewly documented antimicrobial activity of quinolonesRecent Developments in the Field of Quinolone Antibacterial Agents 15 August 1989Volume 111, Issue 4Page: 269-271KeywordsAntimalarialsFeversHospital medicineInfectious diseasesMalariaMorbidityMortalityMultidrug resistancePlasmodium falciparumQuinine Issue Published: 15 August 1989 PDF DownloadLoading ...