A study of resistance to cycloguanil in Plasmodium gallinaceum in chicks

Abstract

A cycloguanil-resistant strain of Plasmodium gallinaceum was produced relatively rapidly by passage through chicks treated with low but effective doses of the drug, the dose being increased as resistance developed.The strain was cross-resistant to proguanil but not to pyrimethamine or chloroquine.A strain highly resistant to proguanil was resistant to cycloguanil but only slightly resistant to pyrimethamine.A strain highly resistant to pyrimethamine was resistant to proguanil and cycloguanil.Passage for 20 months through birds treated with doses of cycloguanil which suppressed infection for relatively long periods failed to change the sensitivity of the strain to this drug or to proguanil. Although the relatively large dose did not eradicate the infection in any of the birds, subinoculations demonstrated that parasites were absent from the blood for a period in some of the birds, though infections finally developed.I am indebted to Parke Davis and Company for the supply of cycloguanil, to Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. for the proguanil hydrochloride and chloroquine phosphate and to Burroughs Wellcome and Company for the pyrimethamine base.