title: Acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria following splenectomy for suspected lymphoma in 2 patients.
abstract: Two black African immigrants, with no history of recent travel outside France, received a diagnosis of a malignant lymphoproliferative disorder and splenomegaly, and they subsequently underwent splenectomy. A few weeks after surgery, both patients experienced an acute episode of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, so the initial diagnosis was corrected retrospectively and changed to hyperreactive malarial splenomegaly. These cases illustrate the difficulty in distinguishing hyperreactive malarial splenomegaly from malignant lymphoproliferative disorders and therefore underline the role of the spleen in the immune system's defense against malaria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Rangueil University Hospital, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bidegain
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Verhille
authors.forename: Francoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huguet
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brousset
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pris
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marchou
authors.forename: Jean Francois
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Magnaval
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002163:Cameroon; D002488:Central African Republic; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013156:Splenectomy; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000601:surgery