Author(s): Pereira, Sara M. ; Grobusch, Martin P. ; Hanscheid, Thomas
Date: 2025
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/98164
Origin: Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa
Subject(s): Artemisinin resistance; Scientific communication; Medical education
In infectious diseases and microbiology, "resistance" implies a lack of drug effectiveness, necessitating a change in therapy. The term "artemisinin resistance" was unfortunately used to describe a longer time for parasites to be cleared from the patient's bloodstream. However, the use of this scientifically flawed term may be mistakenly interpreted to mean that artemisinin-based therapies are ineffective, potentially resulting in inappropriate treatment choices. The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the term "partial artemisinin resistance" in 2018 to emphasize that delayed clearance is distinct from full resistance and does not predict treatment failure. In 2022, WHO explicitly discouraged the unqualified use of "artemisinin resistance" to ensure accurate communication about artemisinin's continued efficacy. Intravenous artesunate remains the recommended and effective first-line treatment for severe malaria, even in areas with identified partial artemisinin resistance]. Current evidence indicates that while partial resistance may delay parasite clearance, there is no definitive proof that it compromises artesunate's efficacy in treating severe malaria although small sample sizes and location-specific data highlight the need for further research to clarify long-term clinical outcomes.
