In vitro sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine and other antimalarials in east Timor and east Kalimantan, Indonesia.
In Indonesia resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine has spread to all provinces except Yogyakarta since the first report in 1974. The proportion of resistant cases is relatively low except in Irian Jaya and East Timor. The results of in vitro tests performed in East Timor showed 81.0% resistance to chloroquine, 87.5% to amodiaquine, 20.0% to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (S-P), 4.8% to mefloquine, and 100% sensitivity to quinine. The percentage of failures was between 11.1% and 71.4% and highest with the S-P combination. Multidrug resistance was observed in 9 cases (or 11.1%). The results of in vitro tests in East Kalimantan were: 62.8% resistance to chloroquine, 100% to amodiaquine, 85.7% to S-P combination, 3.2% to quinine, and 2.5% to mefloquine. Failures rates ranged between 21.2% and 37.1% the highest being with mefloquine. Multidrug resistance was more prominent and observed in 59 cases (84.3%) of which one case was resistant to 5 antimalarials, while 4 cases (5.7%) were resistant to chloroquine only, compared to 72 cases (88.9%) in East Timor.