Chloroquine-Resistant Plasmodium Falciparum from Porto Velho, Brazil

Abstract
Summary Two cases of Plasmodium falciparum infections, apparently originating in Porto Velho, Brazil, which were not eliminated by the usual curative doses of chloroquine are documented. One patient received a total of 6.675 grams chloroquine base, including four regimens varying from 0.9 to 2.1 grams each, without eradicating the parasites. She was cured subsequently by a 10-day quinine treatment. The second patient received a total of 3.675 grams chloroquine base, including two courses of 1.5 grams each, without eradicating the infection. He was cured by a 5-day treatment totaling 3.1 grams of chloroquine. This study confirms the presence of chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum in Porto Velho, Brazil, the second area in South America where chloroquine-resistant strains have been reported.