Blood Specimens – Special Tests: MQ Testing

Mefloquine is recommended by CDC as a prophylactic against malaria. When individuals who are presumably on mefloquine prophylaxis exhibit signs of malaria, blood samples are collected and analyzed for the presence of the drug. The drug is extracted from the blood and the concentration is determined by high-performance liquid chromatographic methods. Determining the level of mefloquine in the blood helps assess if the individual was adherent with his/her medication. This procedure is also useful to determine treatment failure due to a mefloquine resistant form of malaria.