Abstract
BackgroundMalaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world. Although most cases are found distributed in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Central and South Americas, there is in Europe a significant increase in the number of imported cases in non-endemic countries, in particular due to the higher mobility in today's society.MethodsThe prevalence of a possible asymptomatic infection with Plasmodium species was assessed using Nucleic Acid Sequence Based Amplification (NASBA) assays on clinical samples collected from 195 study cases with no clinical signs related to malaria and coming from sub-Saharan African regions to Southern Italy. In addition, base-line demographic, clinical and socio-economic information was collected from study participants who also underwent a full clinical examination.ResultsSixty-two study subjects (31.8%) were found positive for Plasmodium using a pan Plasmodium specific NASBA which can detect all four Plasmodium species causing human disease, based on the small subunit 18S rRNA gene (18S NASBA). Twenty-four samples (38%) of the 62 18S NASBA positive study cases were found positive with a Pfs25 mRNA NASBA, which is specific for the detection of gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum. A statistically significant association was observed between 18S NASBA positivity and splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and leukopaenia and country of origin.ConclusionThis study showed that a substantial proportion of people originating from malaria endemic countries harbor malaria parasites in their blood. If transmission conditions are available, they could potentially be a reservoir. Thefore, health authorities should pay special attention to the health of this potential risk group and aim to improve their health conditions.
Highlights
Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world
The World Health Organization estimates that 300–500 million cases of malaria infections, with 1–3 million deaths globally occurring each year, of which 95% is caused by Plasmodium falciparum [1]
Clinical features All examined study cases did not present at the time of examination or in the previous two months, the malaria paroxysm- characterized by high fever, chills and rigor
Summary
Most cases are found distributed in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Central and South Americas, there is in Europe a significant increase in the number of imported cases in non-endemic countries, in particular due to the higher mobility in today's society. Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world. Most cases are found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Central, and South America, there is a significant increase in the number of imported cases in Europe, in particular due to the higher mobility of people in today's society [2]. Due to the misleading symptoms related to initial malaria (i.e. fever and other flu-like symptoms), prompt diagnosis and treatment are of great importance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that malaria should be considered in the differential diagnosis of febrile patients who have traveled to a region where malaria is endemic and in any patients who experience fevers of unknown origin regardless of their travel history [2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call