Misdiagnosis of an imported case of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum

An unusual case of malaria presented with gastroenteritis and bloody diarrhoea in a 46-year-old male. The patient was a non-Saudi resident of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Fever was not the presenting complaint, and the patient had not experienced any chills or sweating. He gave history of recent travel to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of infection in developing countries 2009-03, Vol.3 (2), p.112-114
Main Authors: Hussain, Waleed Mohammad, Bukhari, Syed Zahid, Fatani, Mohammad Ibrahim, Karima, Talal Mohammad, Madani, Tariq Ahmed, Badreddine, Samar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diagnostic Errors
Diarrhea - diagnosis
Diarrhea - drug therapy
Diarrhea - parasitology
Diarrhea - pathology
Erythrocytes
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis - diagnosis
Gastroenteritis - drug therapy
Gastroenteritis - parasitology
Gastroenteritis - pathology
Humans
Malaria
Malaria, Falciparum - diagnosis
Malaria, Falciparum - drug therapy
Malaria, Falciparum - pathology
Male
Middle Aged
Plasmodium falciparum - isolation & purification
Saudi Arabia
Travel
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Summary:An unusual case of malaria presented with gastroenteritis and bloody diarrhoea in a 46-year-old male. The patient was a non-Saudi resident of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Fever was not the presenting complaint, and the patient had not experienced any chills or sweating. He gave history of recent travel to Pakistan. Initial laboratory investigations showed anemia, thrombocytopenia, normal liver function, and negative blood film for malaria. His widal, Brucella, and dengue serology was negative. Endoscopic examination showed gastroenteritis. On the fifth day of admission, a sexual form of Plasmodium falciparum on peripheral smear was reported by chance. Malaria was misdiagnosed because of initial negative blood film which may have been due to false microscopy or a long period between exposures and positive blood film. We concluded that a repeat blood film for malaria at 12- to 24-hour intervals for 48 to 72 hours is cost effective when a patient has recently travelled to an endemic area.
ISSN:2036-6590
1972-2680
DOI:10.3855/jidc.58