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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Postmortem characterization of patients with clinical diagnosis of plasmodium vivax malaria: To what extent does this parasite kill?
Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 55, No. 8, Year 2012
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Description
Background. Severe disease attributable to Plasmodium vivax infection is already well described worldwide; however, autopsies in these patients are scarce. Methods. From 1996 to 2010, 19 patient deaths with a clinical diagnosis of P. vivax infection occurred in a tertiary care center in the Brazilian Amazon. Seventeen of these 19 deaths were fully autopsied. Clinical charts, macroscopic autopsy reports, and stored paraffinized tissue blocks were retrieved. Nested polymerase chain reaction was performed in paraffinized samples of spleen and lung to confirm P. vivax monoinfection. Immunohistofluorescence was used to detect P. vivax parasitized red blood cells (RBCs).Results.Of 17 autopsies, 13 revealed that death could be attributed to P. vivax infection; in the remaining 4, acute diseases other than malaria were found to be the cause of death. The primary complication in patients in which malaria contributed to death was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary edema associated with the accumulation of neutrophils in the interalveolar space (6 cases). Spleen rupture (3 cases) and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (3 cases) were the second most common complications. One child evolving with coma was also characterized, but no parasite was detected in the brain tissue. In one patient who developed ARDS and presented negative peripheral parasitemia by the time of death, scattered parasitized red blood cells were seen inside pulmonary capillaries, suggesting some sequestration in the lung.Conclusions.In 13 of 17 deceased patients, P. vivax infection was the plausible cause of death. However, more studies are needed to understand pathogenesis related to severe disease. © 2012 The Author.
Authors & Co-Authors
Lacerda, Marcus V. G.
Brazil, Manaus
Fundacao de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade do Estado do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade Nilton Lins
Alecrim, Maria Das Graças Costa
Brazil, Manaus
Fundacao de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade do Estado do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade Nilton Lins
Alexandre, Márcia Almeida A.Araújo
Brazil, Manaus
Fundacao de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade do Estado do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade Nilton Lins
Magalhães, Belisa Maria Lopes
Brazil, Manaus
Fundacao de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade do Estado do Amazonas
Siqueira, Andre M.
Brazil, Manaus
Fundacao de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade do Estado do Amazonas
Mourão, Maria Paula Gomes
Brazil, Manaus
Fundacao de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade do Estado do Amazonas
Brazil, Manaus
Universidade Nilton Lins
Castillo, Paola
Spain, Barcelona
Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Fernandez-Becerra, C.
Spain, Barcelona
Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Del Portillo, Hernando A.
Spain, Barcelona
Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Spain, Barcelona
Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats
Ordi, J.
Spain, Barcelona
Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Alonso, Pedro Luís
Spain, Barcelona
Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Bassat, Quique
Spain, Barcelona
Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Statistics
Citations: 175
Authors: 12
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1093/cid/cis615
ISSN:
15376591
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health