A case of the imported Plasmodium ovale malaria (author's transl)

Abstract

A case of Plasmodium ovale malaria was confirmed in a boy of 15 years old, who stayed in Nigeria from December, 1971 through August, 1973. On January 15, 1974, i.e., five months after he returned to Japan, he suffered from intermittent fever of up to 40°C.He was refractory to antibiotics given by the practitioner, and was admitted to the hospital of Osaka Medical College on January 21. The laboratory examination on the blood proved that the case was an ovale malaria infected by Plasmodium ovale. Chloropuine (1500 mg) followed by Primapuine (210mg) were given.Thenceforth, up until January 1977, the regular check-up made once a year has shown no evidence of relapse at all.This is the latest one of the only four published cases of ovale malaria imported into Japan.Although Plasmodium falciparum is the predominant endemic species of malaria parasite in the west coast of Africa, the ovale malaria should be always suspected in anybody who suffers from malaria more than a month after returning from aforesaid area.