Antimalarial drug resistance in Uganda

Malaria remains one of the most serious global health problems and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda. Appropriate case management; focusing on prompt treatment with effective antimalarial drugs; is the foundation of malaria control throughout sub-Saharan Africa. for decades; chloroquine (CQ) was the mainstay of antimalarial therapy; but the emergence of P.falciparum resistance to CQ has challenges control efforts. The spread of CQ resistance has been temporally associated with increased malaria-related morbidity and mortality in Africa; highlighting the urgent need to change antimalarial treatment policy in the face of rising CQ resistance. Unfortunately; the optimal alternative to CQ is not clear and available drugs are limited by cost; efficacy; and safety concerns. Agents currently under consideration in Uganda include sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP or Fansidar); amodiaquine (AQ); artemisinin deriatives (artesunate [AS]); and combinations of these agents

Phagocytosis of Mycobacterium leprae by cardiac muscle cells--a preliminary report.

Fetal cardiac muscle cells were shown to ingest M. leprae easily within 20 minutes of exposure in vitro. This phagocytosis is considered nonspecific and facilitated by the lipid coat of the mycobacteria. The presence of M. leprae free in the cytoplasm of the muscle cells did not seriously affect the morphology or rhythmic contractions of the cells. The significance of the presence of M. leprae in somatic cells needs further study.