Methaemoglobin reduction test: a new, simple, in vitro test for identifying primaquine-sensitivity.

The 8-aminoquinolines, and many other drugs, cause an acute intravascular haemolysis, known as primaquine-sensitivity, in a certain percentage of persons, particularly the darker-skinned peoples of the world. Massive drug programmes for the eradication of malaria in whole population groups frequently call for the use of primaquine; in addition, the use of other haemolytic or potentially haemolytic drugs in clinical medicine is widespread. Thus it is becoming increasingly important to be able to identify primaquine-sensitive individuals in field and clinical laboratories. Two modifications of a new test for primaquine-sensitivity, the methaemoglobin reduction test, are described in detail in this paper. The more simple modification, the field screening test, is practical for surveying large population groups in the field. The more accurate clinical test is also suitable for field use if a clinical spectrophotometer or photoelectric colorimeter is available.