Low doses of quinine during a short time period are effective for clearance of Plasmodium falciparum in asymptomatic children in Guinea Bissau.

Asymptomatic children in Guinea Bissau were given 5 mg quinine per kg body weight two times daily for 5 days (n = 18) or 3 days (n = 20) for treatment of Plasmodium falciparum. Parasites disappeared within four days after initiation of treatment and remained absent during the first week afterwards. Six children reported adverse reactions, mainly mild tinnitus which disappeared after termination of treatment. Reduced doses of quinine for shorter treatment periods was effective in this study. Further studies in symptomatic patients are needed to elucidate whether this low-dose regimen could be an alternative to chloro-quine in the treatment of P. falciparum in Africa.