Missed Plasmodium ovale Infections Among Symptomatic Persons in Angola, Mozambique, and Ethiopia

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 May 18;9(7):ofac261. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac261. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Abstract

The majority of symptomatic malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Infection with Plasmodium ovale is often not recorded and not considered clinically relevant. Here, we describe 8 cases of P ovale infection from 3 African countries-all of which were misdiagnosed at the presenting health facility.

Keywords: Plasmodium ovale; diagnosis; malaria; rapid diagnostic tests.