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Antimalarial Drug Susceptibility of Plasmodium vivax in the Republic of Korea

The antimalarial susceptibility of ring stage (> 80%) Plasmodium vivax from the Republic of Korea, where long incubation–period strains are prevalent, was evaluated using the schizont maturation inhibition technique. During 2005–2007, susceptibility to seven antimalarial drugs was evaluated with 24 fresh isolates. The geometric mean (95% confidence interval) 50% inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) were quinine 60 (54–75) ng/mL, chloroquine 39 (22–282) ng/mL, piperaquine 27 (17–58) ng/mL, mefloquine 39 (35–67) ng/mL, pyrimethamine 138 (89–280) ng/mL, artesunate 0.6 (0.5–0.8) ng/mL, and primaquine 122 (98–232) ng/mL. Positive correlations were found between quinine and mefloquine (r = 0.6, P = 0.004), piperaquine and chloroquine (r = 0.6, P = 0.008), and piperaquine and primaquine IC₅₀ values (r = 0.5, P = 0.01). Compared with P. vivax in Thailand, P. vivax in the Republic of Korea was more sensitive to quinine and mefloquine, but equally sensitive to chloroquine and artesunate.

Received September 4, 2008. Accepted for publication February 11, 2009.

Acknowledgments: We thank the staffs of Korean National Institute of Health, Public Health Clinics in Paju and Ansan provinces, Republic of Korea for their assistance, and Dr. Kamolrat Silamut, Nattawan Rachaphew, Nongnuj Maneechai, and Pattamon Sang-in for technical support.

Financial support: This work was supported by grants from the World Health Organization (M50/370/31) and the Wellcome Trust of Great Britain to the Wellcome Trust Mahidol University-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Programme and from the U.S. Military Infectious Diseases Research Program to The Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science.

^* Address correspondence to Nicholas J. White, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. E-mail: nickw{at}tropmedres.ac

Authors’ addresses: Kesinee Chotivanich and Juntima Sritabal, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Yien Kyong Choi, Jae Sun Park, and Won Ja Lee, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, and Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand and Department of Entomology, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul 122-701, Republic of Korea. Chae Seung Lim, Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Republic of Korea. Rachanee Udomsangpetch, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Nicholas J. White, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, E-mail: nickw{at}tropmedres.ac and Centre for Tropical Medicine, Churchill Hospital, Oxford LJ7 9DU, United Kingdom.