Kang Yunjung, Yang Jinyoung
Health Science, Dankook University Graduate School, Cheonan, Korea.
Korean J Parasitol. 2013 Apr;51(2):213-8. doi: 10.3347/kjp.2013.51.2.213. Epub 2013 Apr 25.
Malaria is a parasitic infection caused by Plasmodium species. Most of the imported malaria in Korea are due to Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum, and Plasmodium ovale infections are very rare. Here, we report a case of a 24-year-old American woman who acquired P. ovale while staying in Ghana, West Africa for 5 months in 2010. The patient was diagnosed with P. ovale malaria based on a Wright-Giemsa stained peripheral blood smear, Plasmodium genus-specific real-time PCR, Plasmodium species-specific nested PCR, and sequencing targeting 18S rRNA gene. The strain identified had a very long incubation period of 19-24 months. Blood donors who have malaria with a very long incubation period could be a potential danger for propagating malaria. Therefore, we should identify imported P. ovale infections not only by morphological findings but also by molecular methods for preventing propagation and appropriate treatment.
疟疾是由疟原虫属引起的寄生虫感染。韩国大多数输入性疟疾是由间日疟原虫和恶性疟原虫引起的，卵形疟原虫感染非常罕见。在此，我们报告一例24岁美国女性病例，该患者于2010年在西非加纳停留5个月期间感染了卵形疟原虫。根据瑞氏-吉姆萨染色外周血涂片、疟原虫属特异性实时PCR、疟原虫种特异性巢式PCR以及针对18S rRNA基因的测序，该患者被诊断为卵形疟原虫疟疾。所鉴定的菌株潜伏期长达19 - 24个月。潜伏期很长的疟疾献血者可能对疟疾传播构成潜在危险。因此，为防止传播和进行适当治疗，我们不仅应通过形态学检查结果，还应通过分子方法来识别输入性卵形疟原虫感染。
