A Case of imported malaria: the first report of Plasmodium malariae infection in Sri Lanka after 37 years

Abstract

We report a case of Plasmodium falciparum and P. malariae mixed infection in a patient who had been living in Malawi. This is the first case of P. malariae reported in Sri Lanka in 4 decades. The presence of both parasites was confirmed by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The history strongly indicated that the infection had been acquired from Malawi. The patient had liver dysfunction and a transient glomerulonephritis, both of which subsided with antimalarial treatment.