Published in:
Open Access
03-01-2024 | Malaria | Case Report
An imported malaria case with repeated episodes of neurological syndromes resulting from different Plasmodium species
Authors:
Zheng Xiang, Longcan Zhou, Maohua Pan, Yucheng Qin, Yao Bai, Pien Qin, Weilin Zeng, Xiaosheng Wei, Yuxin Lu, Charurut Somboonwit, Lynette Menezes, Yaming Huang, Liwang Cui, Zhaoqing Yang
Published in:
BMC Infectious Diseases
|
Issue 1/2024
Login to get access
Abstract
Background
Imported cerebral malaria (CM) cases in non-endemic areas are often misdiagnosed, which delays treatment. Post-malaria neurological syndrome (PMNS) after recovery from severe malaria can also complicate diagnosis.
Case
We report an imported malaria case from West Africa with two sequential episodes with neurological syndromes within about a month. The first episode was diagnosed as CM with microscopy-positive Plasmodium falciparum infection. The second episode, occurring a month after the recovery from the first CM episode, was consistent with PMNS, since malaria parasites were not detected by microscopy in peripheral blood smears. However, this diagnosis was complicated by the detection of Plasmodium vivax in peripheral blood by PCR, suggesting a potential cause of the second episode by P. vivax.
Conclusion
This study suggests that PMNS often occurs after severe falciparum malaria. Concurrent P. vivax infection with pathogenic biomass being predominantly extravascular further complicates accurate diagnosis.