A 23-year-old man comes to the hospital due to a one week history of fatigue, muscle ache, chills and fever that occurs every 2 days. He recently returned from a trip to Myanmar. Temperature is 38.6 C (101.5 F). Physical examination is otherwise unrevealing. . Laboratory studies show a hemoglobin of 9.7 g/dL. A blood smear with Giemsa staining demonstrates red blood cell inclusions. The patient is prescribed chloroquine and primaquine. The addition of primaquine to the treatment regimen is most likely to have which of the following effects?

Question

A 23-year-old man comes to the hospital due to a one week history of fatigue, muscle ache, chills and fever that occurs every 2 days. He recently returned from a trip to Myanmar. Temperature is 38.6 C (101.5 F).  Physical examination is otherwise unrevealing.  . Laboratory studies show a hemoglobin of 9.7 g/dL.   A blood smear with Giemsa staining demonstrates red blood cell inclusions.  The patient is prescribed chloroquine and primaquine.  The addition of primaquine to the treatment regimen is most likely to have which of the following effects?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Chloroquine is the treatment of choice for uncomplicated malaria contracted in a chloroquine-sensitive geographic region.  It eliminates susceptible erythrocytic forms of all Plasmodium species.  Primaquine is added in the treatment of infections with P vivax and P ovale to eradicate the intrahepatic stages (hypnozoites) of these malarial species, which are responsible for relapses.

A 23-Year-Old Man Comes to the Hospital Due to a One