Project description:Selective Whole Genome Amplification of Plasmodium malariae DNA from clinical samples reveals high genetic diversity and population structure of this neglected malaria parasite
Project description:We describe a 32-year-old Bangladeshi male presenting with severe malaria caused by a mono-infection with Plasmodium malariae. Rosetting of infected and uninfected erythrocytes, a putative virulence factor in falciparum malaria, was observed in the blood slide. Severe disease caused by P. malariae is extremely rare. The patient made a rapid recovery with intravenous quinine treatment.
Project description:Since 1963, reported malaria transmission in Haiti has been restricted to Plasmodium falciparum. However, screening of Haitian refugees in Jamaica in 2004, by microscopic examination, identified P. falciparum, P. vivax, and P. malariae. PCR confirmed the P. malariae and P. falciparum but not P. vivax infections. DNA sequencing and rRNA gene sequences showed transmission of P. malariae. This report confirms that P. malariae is still being transmitted in Haiti.