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Tomassi MV, D'Abramo A, Vita S, Corpolongo A, Vulcano A, Ascoli Bartoli T, Bartolini B, Faraglia F, Nicastri E. A case of severe Plasmodium ovale malaria with acute respiratory distress syndrome and splenic infarction in a male traveller presenting in Italy. Malar J 2024; 23:93. [PMID: 38575935 PMCID: PMC10993526 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04911-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium ovale malaria is usually considered a tropical infectious disease associated with low morbidity and mortality. However, severe disease and death have previously been reported. CASE PRESENTATION A case of severe P. ovale malaria in a healthy Caucasian man with a triangle splenic infarction and clinical progression towards Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome was reported despite a rapid response to oral chloroquine treatment with 24-h parasitaemia clearance. CONCLUSION Plasmodium ovale malaria is generally considered as a benign disease, with low parasitaemia. However, severe disease and death have occasionally been reported. It is important to be aware that occasionally it can progress to serious illness and death even in immunocompetent individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Virginia Tomassi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra D'Abramo
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy.
| | - Serena Vita
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Corpolongo
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Vulcano
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Tommaso Ascoli Bartoli
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Bartolini
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Faraglia
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuele Nicastri
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
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Popkin-Hall ZR, Seth MD, Madebe RA, Budodo R, Bakari C, Francis F, Pereus D, Giesbrecht DJ, Mandara CI, Mbwambo D, Aaron S, Lusasi A, Lazaro S, Bailey JA, Juliano JJ, Gutman JR, Ishengoma DS. Prevalence of non-falciparum malaria infections among asymptomatic individuals in four regions of Mainland Tanzania. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:153. [PMID: 38519992 PMCID: PMC10960463 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06242-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies point to the need to incorporate the detection of non-falciparum species into malaria surveillance activities in sub-Saharan Africa, where 95% of the world's malaria cases occur. Although malaria caused by infection with Plasmodium falciparum is typically more severe than malaria caused by the non-falciparum Plasmodium species P. malariae, P. ovale spp. and P. vivax, the latter may be more challenging to diagnose, treat, control and ultimately eliminate. The prevalence of non-falciparum species throughout sub-Saharan Africa is poorly defined. Tanzania has geographical heterogeneity in transmission levels but an overall high malaria burden. METHODS To estimate the prevalence of malaria species in Mainland Tanzania, we randomly selected 1428 samples from 6005 asymptomatic isolates collected in previous cross-sectional community surveys across four regions and analyzed these by quantitative PCR to detect and identify the Plasmodium species. RESULTS Plasmodium falciparum was the most prevalent species in all samples, with P. malariae and P. ovale spp. detected at a lower prevalence (< 5%) in all four regions; P. vivax was not detected in any sample. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that malaria elimination efforts in Tanzania will need to account for and enhance surveillance of these non-falciparum species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R Popkin-Hall
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Misago D Seth
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Rashid A Madebe
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Rule Budodo
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Catherine Bakari
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Filbert Francis
- National Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Center, Tanga, Tanzania
| | - Dativa Pereus
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | - Celine I Mandara
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | | | | | - Samwel Lazaro
- National Malaria Control Programme, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | - Jeffrey A Bailey
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jonathan J Juliano
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Julie R Gutman
- Malaria Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Deus S Ishengoma
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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