Plasmodium vivax Malaria Presenting with Multifocal Hemorrhagic Brain Infarcts in a School-going Child

J Trop Pediatr. 2016 Aug;62(4):341-4. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmw007. Epub 2016 Mar 10.

Abstract

Cerebral malaria is a well-known complication of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Over recent years, however, Plasmodium vivax also has been reported to cause cerebral malaria with or without co-infection with P. falciparum Here, we report a boy aged 10 years presenting with acute febrile encephalopathy with raised intracranial pressure to the emergency, who was later diagnosed to have P. vivax malaria. His neurological status improved gradually during 6 weeks of pediatric intensive care unit stay. We report this case to highlight the unusual radiologic findings in the patient, such as multifocal hemorrhagic infarcts in the brainstem, bilateral thalami, frontal cortex and basal ganglia, which have not been reported with P. vivax malaria.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acute Febrile Encephalopathy
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antimalarials / administration & dosage
  • Antimalarials / therapeutic use
  • Artemisinins / administration & dosage
  • Artemisinins / therapeutic use
  • Artesunate
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Brain / parasitology
  • Child
  • Clindamycin / administration & dosage
  • Clindamycin / therapeutic use
  • Electroencephalography
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units, Pediatric
  • Intracranial Pressure
  • Malaria, Cerebral / drug therapy
  • Malaria, Cerebral / microbiology*
  • Malaria, Vivax / diagnosis*
  • Malaria, Vivax / drug therapy
  • Male
  • Plasmodium vivax / isolation & purification*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antimalarials
  • Artemisinins
  • Clindamycin
  • Artesunate