title: Plasmodium falciparum malaria occurring four years after leaving an endemic area.
abstract: We present a case of a 52-year-old woman of Ghanaian origin who developed Plasmodium falciparum malaria 4 years after leaving Africa. She had not returned to an endemic area since. We hypothesize several possible scenarios to explain this infection, of which we believe recrudescence of P. falciparum is the most plausible. This occurred most likely as a consequence of waning immunity several years after leaving a high-transmission area. She recovered after a 3-day treatment with atovaquone/proguanil.
authors: a Department of Internal Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Belgium.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Vantomme
authors: b Department of Clinical Biology , St. Lucas General Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Van Acker
authors: c Department of Gastroenterology , St. Lucas General Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Rogge
authors: d Department of Infectious Diseases , St. Lucas General Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.|e Department of Pneumology , St. Lucas General Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Ommeslag
authors: f Department of Nephrology , St. Lucas General Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Donck
authors: g Department of Infectious Diseases , Ghent University Hospital , Belgium.|h Department of Infectious Diseases , St. Lucas General Hospital , Belgium.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Callens
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053626:Atovaquone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D004338:Drug Combinations; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D008875:Middle Aged; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects; D002727:Proguanil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D004338:Drug Combinations; C109496:atovaquone, proguanil drug combination; D002727:Proguanil; D053626:Atovaquone
keywords: Airport malaria; Malaria; Malaria recrudescence; P. falciparum