The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and impact of ivermectin, administered
as single or repeated dose, in combination with artemether-lumefantrine in reducing the
proportion of mosquitoes that survive and become infected after feeding on a blood meal from
a malaria-infected individual.
Inclusion Criteria:
- asymptomatically infected individuals with any P. falciparum parasite density
Exclusion Criteria:
- age < 15 years or > 25 years
- malaria parasite density ≥ 10,000 parasites/µL
- clinical symptoms indicating severe malaria
- axillary temperature ≥ 37. 5°C
- Body Mass Index (BMI) below 18 or above 32 kg/m2
- haemoglobin concentration below 11 g/dL
- taken ivermectin in the last three months
- Loa loa as assessed by questionnaire, clinical examination and parasitological
assessments
- for women: pregnancy or lactation
- known hypersensitivity to AL or IVM
- history and/or symptoms indicating chronic illness
- current use of tuberculosis or anti-retroviral medication
- unable to give written informed consent
- unwillingness to participate in two membrane feeding assays
- travel history to Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo,
Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Nigeria and Sudan. If a potential participant has
ever visited one or more of these countries, he or she will not be eligible for
enrolment.
- history of cardiovascular disease.
- taking drugs that are known to influence cardiac function and to prolong QTc
interval, such as class IA and III: neuroleptics, antidepressant agents, certain
antibiotics including some agents of the following classes - macrolides,
fluoroquinolones, imidazole, and triazole antifungal agents, certain non-sedating
antihistaminics (terfenadine, astemizole) and cisapride.
- known disturbances of electrolyte balance, e. g. hypokalaemia or hypomagnesaemia.
- taking drugs which may be metabolized by cytochrome enzyme CYP2D6 (e. g., flecainide,
metoprolol, imipramine, amitriptyline, clomipramine).
