Vásquez-Manzanilla O, Dickson-González SM, Rodríguez-Morales AJ

Language: English
References: 15
Page: 201-203
PDF size: 164.10 Kb.

Text Extraction

Background: Plasmodium vivax remains as an important threat in Southeast Asia and Latin America, where represents more than 80% of the etiology of malaria. Although historically considered a benign species, recently many reports and publications have highlight the possibility of atypical, severe and complicated disease caused by this parasite. Herein we report the clinical spectrum of three cases of atypical imported malaria due to P. vivax seen during year 2006 in the Central Hospital of Valera, Trujillo state, Venezuela. Cases: Case 1 corresponded to a male child, 15 months-old, presenting as unknown origin fever and sepsis. Case 2 was an adult, 39 y-old male, presenting with intense headache, abdominal pain, fever and coluria. Case 3 was also an adult, 41 y-old female, with complains of fever, tremors, coluria, headache and vomiting. All cases came from far locations outside the metropolitan area of Valera city. In all cases the smear with Giemsa revealed P. vivax (in the pediatric case also the diagnosis was established in a bone marrow aspirate). They were successfully treated with chloroquine and primaquine according to the national antimalarial therapy program. Discussion: Malaria due to P. vivax is requiring and deserving more biomedical research, particularly because in few past years the literature has shown a growing incidence of atypical, complicated and severe cases of P. vivax, as we have been reporting. Further research on these aspects should be focused in regions where this parasite is highly prevalent.

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