TREATMENT OF CHLOROQUINE - RESISTANT MALARIA USING PYRIMETHAMINE IN COMBINATION WITH BERBERINE, TETRACYCLINE OR COTRIMOXAZOLE

Two hundred and fifteen patients with chloroquine-resistant malaria we re randomised into three groups. The first group of 82 patients were g iven pyrimethamine and berberine (berberine group), the second group o f 64 patients, pyrimethamine and tetracycline (tetracycline group) and the third group of 69 patients were given pyrimethamine and cotrimoxa zole (cotrimoxazole group), In the berberine group,the clearance, rate of asexual parasitaemia was 74.4% after treatment, while in the tetra cycline group it was 67.2% and in the cotrimoxazole group 47.8%, These results indicate that berberine is more effective in clearing the par asite than both tetracycline and cotrimoxazole, and that the combinati on of pyrimethamine and berberine gives the best results for chloroqui ne resistant malaria.