Congenital Malaria as a Result of Plasmodium malariae--North Carolina, 2000

Abstract

Congenitally acquired malaria is rare in the United States; < or = 10 cases are reported each year. Congenital infection with Plasmodium malariae is particularly uncommon because distribution of this parasite is focal and sparse in areas where P. falciparum is endemic. The last case of congenital P. malariae infection in the United States was reported in 1992. This report describes the investigation of a case of P. malariae in an infant with no travel history outside of the United States and suggests that health-care providers suspect malaria when treating a neonate or young infant with fever if the mother has traveled or lived in a malarious area.