[Possibilities and limitations of malaria therapy in general practice]

Malaria infections by Plasmodium (P.) vivax. P. ovale or P. malariae follow mostly a benign course, and ambulatory treatment is safe, provided there is no other significant morbidity. Ambulatory treatment for falciparum malaria must be considered only if a number of conditions are met, making potential complications most unlikely. Furthermore, it is imperative that the patient can be reliably supervised at home. Taking into account the increase of P. falciparum strains resistant to chloroquine, cases meeting the criteria for ambulatory care can mostly be treated with mefloquine, pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine or pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine/mefloquine. Chloroquine remains the first choice for treatment of malaria due to P. vivax, P. ovale or P. malariae.