About the Authors

Christian Burri

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliations Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Patrick D. Yeramian

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation The Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida, Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States of America

James L. Allen

† Deceased.

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Vernon Hills, Illinois, United States of America

Ada Merolle

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation The QED group, Luanda, Angola

Kazadi Kyanza Serge

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Médecins sans Frontières Suisse, Genève, Suisse

Alain Mpanya

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Lisumbi Health Centre, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pascal Lutumba

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale and Tropical Medicine Department, Kinshasa University, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Victor Kande Betu Ku Mesu

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Programme des Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Ministère de la Santé Publique Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Constantin Miaka Mia Bilenge

† Deceased.

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Ministry of Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Jean-Pierre Fina Lubaki

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Hôspital Evangélique de Vanga, Vanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Alfred Mpoo Mpoto

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Hôspital Evangélique de Vanga, Vanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mark Thompson

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Federally Qualified Community Health Center, Elgin, Illinois, United States of America

Blaise Fungula Munungu

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Lisumbi Health Centre, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Francisco Manuel

† Deceased.

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Instituto de Combate e de Controlo das Tripanossomíases, Luanda, Angola

Théophilo Josenando

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Instituto de Combate e de Controlo das Tripanossomíases, Luanda, Angola

Sonja C. Bernhard

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliations Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Carol A. Olson

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Global Product Development, PPD, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America

Johannes Blum

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliations Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Richard R. Tidwell

tidwell@med.unc.edu

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliation University of North Carolina, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America

Gabriele Pohlig

‡ CB, PDY, JLA, CAO, JB, RRT and GP are primary authors and contributed equally to this work. AMe, KS, AMp, PL, VKBKM, CMMB, JPFL, AMM, MT, BFM, FM, TJ and SCB are secondary authors who contributed equally to this work.

Affiliations Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Competing Interests

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (STPH) planned, managed, and monitored the trial and is a member of the Consortium for Parasitic Drug Development, which developed pafuramidine maleate with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition, the STPH is an academic contract research organization, which develops therapies against human African trypanosomiasis (nifurtimox-eflornithine combination and fexinidazole) and are supported on behalf of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative. Carol A. Olson is now employed my Sapphire Oak Consultants. Richard R. Tidwell had stock options with Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. They are a publicly help, for profit business. He no longer holds these stock options. These competing interests do not alter our adherence to all PLOS NTDs policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: CB PDY CAO JLA CMMB TJ RRT SCB GP. Performed the experiments: CB PDY CAO PL AMp KKS AMe VKBKM CMMB JPFL AMM BFM FM TJ GP MT JB. Analyzed the data: CB PDY CAO JLA VKBKM RRT SCB GP. Wrote the paper: CB PDY CAO SCB GP RRT. Medical Assessment: PDY CAO VKBKM.