title: Diagnosis of malaria by polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: Malaria is no longer endemic in Puerto Rico, however, imported cases of the disease are occasionally reported to the Health Department of the Island. This is a report of a 45-year-old female patient who traveled to Kenya and Niger and was admitted to a San Juan area hospital with an 8 day history of daily chills and fever, myalgia, nausea and vomiting. Upon admission, peripheral blood displayed multiple intra-erythrocytic ring-shape trophozoites, highly suggestive of Plasmodium falciparum. The polymerase chain reaction was used as a complementary method for the detection of malaria parasites and confirmation of post-treatment parasite clearance. This report presents an imported case of malaria in Puerto Rico and showed the use of a molecular technique to diagnose Plasmodium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine 00936-5067.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferrer-Rodríguez
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Córdova
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Serrano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001769:Blood / Q000469:parasitology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan