Infectious diseases: Plasmodium vivax radical cure: practice question

The best answer is A, Primaquine daily for 14 days. P.

Prolonged chloroquine does not act on liver hypnozoites.

A single low dose targets gametocytes in falciparum malaria and does not clear hypnozoites.

Doxycycline is a partner drug in falciparum regimens and does not eradicate hypnozoites.

It tests Infectious diseases: Plasmodium vivax radical cure in General Medicine. vivax and P. ovale form dormant liver hypnozoites that cause relapse months later. Chloroquine clears blood stages only, so primaquine at 0.25 mg/kg daily for 14 days is added for radical cure after G6PD deficiency is excluded. The single low dose of primaquine is used with ACT in falciparum malaria to kill gametocytes.

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

For each disease know the classic presentation, the best test, and the first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other General Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.