AJTMH Tropical Medicine and Hygiene News
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 51(6), 1994, pp. 778-784
Copyright © 1994 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kuile, F. O. T.
Right arrow Articles by White, N. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kuile, F. O. T.
Right arrow Articles by White, N. J.

Comparison of Capillary Whole Blood, Venous Whole Blood, and Plasma Concentrations of Mefloquine, Halofantrine, and Desbutyl-Halofantrine Measured by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Feiko O. Ter Kuile, Paktiya Teja-Isavatharm, Michael D. Edstein, Duangsuda Keeratithakul, Grainne Dolan, Francois Nosten, Lucy Phaipun, H. Kyle Webster AND Nicholas J. White
Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mae Sod, Thailand; Unit of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Bangkok, Thailand; Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom

Whole blood mefloquine, halofantrine, and desbutyl-halofantrine concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in capillary blood, venous blood, and venous plasma samples from patients along the Thai/Burmese border with falciparum malaria who were treated with either mefloquine (25 mg/kg) or halofantrine (24 mg/kg or 72 mg/kg). The limits of detection for mefloquine, halofantrine, and desbutyl-halofantrine were 50, 15, and 10 ng/ml, respectively, with 200 µl whole blood samples. There was a good linear correlation (r > 0.9) between capillary and venous blood and between whole blood and plasma for all three compounds. Mefloquine concentrations in venous and capillary blood were very similar (mean ratio 1.02, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.95–1.09, n = 60), but were 1.15 times higher (95% CI 1.03–1.29) in whole blood than in plasma (n = 22). The halofantrine and desbutyl-halofantrine concentrations were 1.27 (1.12–1.45, n = 23) and 1.34 (1.16–1.55, n = 24) times higher in venous compared to capillary blood, while halofantrine but not desbutyl-halofantrine concentrations were lower in whole blood than in plasma (mean ratios: halofantrine: 0.83 [0.72, 0.94], n = 39 and desbutyl-halofantrine: 1.05 [0.96–1.15], n = 41). Measurement of mefloquine, halofantrine, or desbutyl-halofantrine in capillary blood is an accurate and practical alternative to venous blood sampling, and is particularly useful for sampling with children, and under field conditions when technical facilities are limited.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1994 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.