Abstract
The Mesoamerican Ministers of Health have set 2020 as the target for malaria elimination to be achieved in the region. Imported malaria cases are a potential threat to countries attempting elimination or working to prevent resurgence. We report the first imported Plasmodium ovale infection with molecular confirmation in Central America, which occurred in a Guatemalan soldier that had been deployed in Africa. The obstacles for its diagnosis using the standard microscopy technique and the need to improve its detection are discussed.
Highlights
One factor in the worldwide increase of imported malaria cases has been the presence of armed forces and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions in malariaendemic areas and their subsequent return to their countries of origin [1]
In 2010, an epidemiological investigation detected 12 cases of imported P. falciparum malaria in 150 Guatemalan soldiers returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) [13,14]
Imported malaria cases could lead to the introduction of drug resistant strains in Central America, as well as atypical malaria species, especially in areas where competent hosts could harbor these parasites and transmit them [3]
Summary
One factor in the worldwide increase of imported malaria cases has been the presence of armed forces and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions in malariaendemic areas and their subsequent return to their countries of origin [1]. P.ovale infection has been established as a relevant cause of imported malaria in these groups, resulting in challenges for accurate diagnosis and treatment [2]. P. vivax and P. falciparum are the etiologic agents of malaria, with the last case of P. malariae reported in 1971 and no P. ovale cases ever documented in Guatemala [10].
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