Relation of plasma level of atabrine to morphology and motility of Plasmodium vivax

SummaryIn patients infected with P. vivax and given a single intramuscular injection of atabrine, most of the large ameboid parasites were non-motile and showed clumped pigment at the time of the peak plasma level of atabrine, which occurred within an hour after the injection. Several hours later, when the plasma level of atabrine had fallen, there was some recovery of both motility and normal pigment distribution.