Plasmodium malariae infections as a cause of febrile disease in an area of high Plasmodium falciparum transmission intensity in Eastern Uganda

Abstract Background Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the vast majority of (severe) clinical malaria cases in most African settings. Other Plasmodium species often go undiagnosed but may still have clinical consequences. Case presentation Here, five cases of Plasmodium malariae infections fro...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Malaria Journal
Main Authors: Daniel Ayo, Bakar Odongo, Joseph Omara, Chiara Andolina, Ole Mulder, Sarah G. Staedke, Teun Bousema
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: BMC 2021
Subjects:
Plasmodium malariae
P. falciparum
Diagnosis
Misdiagnosis
Schizonts
Microscopy
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-021-03962-1
https://doaj.org/article/1c34fb99aa5e40ad9c0a7982b93185d2
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the vast majority of (severe) clinical malaria cases in most African settings. Other Plasmodium species often go undiagnosed but may still have clinical consequences. Case presentation Here, five cases of Plasmodium malariae infections from Eastern Uganda (aged 2–39 years) are presented. These infections were all initially mistaken for P. falciparum, but Plasmodium schizonts (up to 2080/µL) were identified by microscopy. Clinical signs included history of fever and mild anaemia. Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of considering non-falciparum species as the cause of clinical malaria. In areas of intense P. falciparum transmission, where rapid diagnostic tests that detect only P. falciparum antigens are commonly used, non-falciparum malaria cases may be missed.

Similar Items