Re: Triclosan and malaria ...and toxoplasmosis?

[Guest guest]

Yah- well- wait till Malaria moves more into the " white'

world of the developed countries. Only then will you see more than

Bill and Melinda Gates pouring money into it.

It just befuddles me the way the developed countries (especially the

cloistered people of the USA) don't know Jack about Malaria (cuz we

don't have it here) when it infects millions of other people in alot

of other countries.

Barb

> Triclosan is the ingredient they are talking about re

treating toxoplasmosis in the radio interview I just posted

>

> Nelly

>

> A chemical ingredient of mouthwash is being hailed as a new

weapon against the malaria parasite.

> Triclosan, also found in acne medications and some

deodorants, seems to be able to prevent the growth of Plasmodium

falciparum.

>

> This is the parasite carried in the saliva of mosquitoes

which causes as many as 2.7m deaths worldwide every year.

>

> While a practical way of using the agent has yet to be fully

developed, the increasing resistance of the parasite to existing anti-

malarial drugs is causing concern to health officials.

>

> Any potential new avenue of attack is likely to be fully

investigated, particularly as triclosan could prove cheaper to

manufacture than many existing antimalarials.

>

> Triclosan is the anti-bacterial ingredient of mouthwashes,

and acne medications, but has never been considered as something

which could be used in the blood.

>

> In tests on animals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for

Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore, India, one of the key

stages by which a malarial infection develops was inhibited.

>

> Reports of resistance to triclosan are relatively uncommon.

>

> An accompanying editorial, however, suggested that using even

well-established compounds such as triclosan would be unlikely to

bring new treatments into action swiftly.

>

> Long wait

>

> It said: " Unfortunately, the costs of develop new

antimalarials are often perceived as outweighing potential profits.

>

> " Development typically takes about four years, with no

guarantee of a marketable product.

>

> " The relatively high cost of new drugs is a major obstacle to

their use in resource-poor settings where the burden of malaria is

greatest. "

>

> Approximately 40% of world's population lives in malaria-

endemic areas - most cases occur in tropical Africa.

>

> Strategies including the widespread use of insecticides have

had some success in reducing the number of malaria cases.

>

> The research was reported in Nature Medicine journal.