Increased Gametocytemia after Treatment: An Early Parasitological Indicator of Emerging Sulfadoxine‐Pyrimethamine Resistance in Falciparum Malaria

Abstract

An increased duration and density of gametocyte carriage after sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine treatment was an early indicator of drug resistance. This increased gametocytemia among patients who have primary infections with drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum fuels the spread of resistance even before treatment failure rates increase significantly.