How does chloroquine treat malaria?

Chloroquine belongs to a group of medicines known as antimalarials. It works by preventing or treating malaria, a red blood cell infection transmitted by the bite of a mosquito.

What is the most effective drug for malaria?

The most common antimalarial drugs include:

• Chloroquine phosphate. Chloroquine is the preferred treatment for any parasite that is sensitive to the drug.
• Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). ACT is a combination of two or more drugs that work against the malaria parasite in different ways.

What is the mechanism of action for hydroxychloroquine?

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine increase pH within intracellular vacuoles and alter processes such as protein degradation by acidic hydrolases in the lysosome, assembly of macromolecules in the endosomes, and posttranslation modification of proteins in the Golgi apparatus.

Why is chloroquine no longer used for malaria?

The resistant parasites that first emerged in Southeast Asia spread to East Africa (Tanzania and Kenya) by 1980 [1, 2] and eventually across the malaria endemic regions of Africa [3]. Chloroquine was, therefore, withdrawn/discontinued for routine treatment of P.

Why is primaquine given with chloroquine?

Radical cure with primaquine was highly effective in preventing early recurrence and may also improve blood schizontocidal efficacy against chloroquine-resistant P vivax.

What is the action of chloroquine?

The major action of chloroquine is to inhibit the formation of hemozoin (Hz) from the heme released by the digestion of hemoglobin (Hb). The free heme then lyses membranes and leads to parasite death. Chloroquine resistance is due to a decreased accumulation of chloroquine in the food vacuole.

Which countries have chloroquine resistant malaria?

Chloroquine-resistant P. vivax malaria was first identified in 1989 among Australians living in or traveling to Papua New Guinea. P. vivax resistance to chloroquine has also now been identified in Southeast Asia, Ethiopia , and Madagascar.

Which genotype is resistant to malaria?

Sickle cell trait (genotype HbAS) confers a high degree of resistance to severe and complicated malaria [1–4] yet the precise mechanism remains unknown.

What is the difference between primaquine and chloroquine?

Chloroquine is a highly effective schizontocide, while primaquine has weaker asexual-stage activity (3) but is the only generally available drug with hypnozoitocidal properties, i.e., it kills dormant liver stage parasites and prevents relapse (radical cure) (1).

Why is chloroquine or quinine not often used to treat malaria anymore?

Medical. As of 2006, quinine is no longer recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a first-line treatment for malaria, because there are other substances that are equally effective with fewer side effects. They recommend that it be used only when artemisinins are not available.