BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK Malaria is a protozoan infection caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium (P. falciparum, P. ovale, P. vivax, P. malariae) that is transmitted from one human to another by female Anopheles mosquitoes. It can be considered a reemerging imported disease in our area because of increasing of movements from endemic countries, and nowadays it is the most common impor...

A novel form of human malaria Plasmodium knowlesi has been identified in small epidemic foci occurred during the last decade in Malaysia. Based on a review of the available literature data, the Authors underline the diagnostic importance of molecular biology examinations performed with primers which are specific of Plasmodium knowlesi, since the standard hemoscopy may fail in distinguishing Pla...

Although the Giemsa-stained thick blood smear (GTS) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of malaria, molecular methods are more sensitive and specific to detect parasites and can be used at reference centers to evaluate the performance of microscopy. The description of the Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale ssrRNA gene sequences allowed the development of a polymer...

BACKGROUND Compared to expert malaria microscopy, malaria biomarkers such as Plasmodium falciparum histidine rich protein-2 (PfHRP-2), and PCR provide superior analytical sensitivity and specificity for quantifying malaria parasites infections. This study reports on parasite prevalence, sick visits parasite density and species composition by different diagnostic methods during a phase-I malaria...

BACKGROUND Among the Plasmodium species that infect humans, adverse effects of P. falciparum and P. vivax have been extensively studied and reported with respect to poor outcomes particularly in first time mothers and in pregnant women living in areas with unstable malaria transmission. Although, other non-falciparum malaria infections during pregnancy have sometimes been reported, little is kn...

In 2010, there were estimated 219 million cases of malaria resulting in 666,000 deaths and two-thirds were children. Children are more vulnerable than adults to malaria parasites. In sub-Saharan African countries, maternal malaria is associated with up to 200,000 estimated infant deaths yearly. Malaria is caused by five Plasmodium parasites namely: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasm...

Malaria is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Malaria is known to be caused by four plasmodia species, namely Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae, with P. falciparum being the most lethal. There are increasing reports of a fifth human-infecting species, Plasmodium knowlesi, which has been described in south-east Asian countr...

Plasmodium knowlesi morphologically resembles P. malariae; PCR assays are able to differentiate between the 2 species correctly. However, PCR is not available in many hospitals in P. knowlesi endemic areas, particularly in Southeast Asia. In places where PCR is not available, anti-malarial drugs for P. malariae or other non-P. falciparum or P. falciparum species are effective against P. knowles...

To the Editor: The rise in international travel to malaria-endemic areas in recent years has been followed by an increase in the number of cases diagnosed in countries where malaria is not endemic (1). Tourist areas of the Dominican Republic have traditionally been considered to be low risk for malaria transmission. However, over the past few years, sporadic descriptions of imported falciparum ...