Abstract
Falciparum Malaria in Patient 9 Years after Leaving Malaria-Endemic Area
Highlights
To the Editor: A 30-year-old African man, without any specific medical history, came to the emergency department of Brugmann University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, on March 18, 2008, because of malaise, profuse transpiration, and dizziness that day
The diagnosis of P. falciparum malaria was confirmed by microscopy and real-time PCR
Impaired immunity has been linked to late malaria, implicating a chronic low-grade P. falciparum infection that becomes clinically evident in an immunocompromised person [3]
Summary
From Guinea-Conakry, the patient reported no travel outside Belgium after his arrival >9 years earlier. A potential life-threatening disease caused by P. falciparum, usually occurs within 2 months after the bite of an infective mosquito. A few reports mention a delay of >1 year between exposure and initial clinical symptoms, probably related to the disappearance of residual protective immunity in immigrants [1,2].
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