COVID-19 Associated Imported Plasmodium vivax Malaria Relapse: First Reported Case and Literature Review

Novel coronavirus 2019 has created the COVID-19 pandemic with a spectrum of illness from asymptomatic to multiorgan dysfunction and death. Although the predominant symptoms of COVID-19 are respiratory, causing fever, flu-like symptoms, cough, shortness of breath, it can virtually affect any organ system and can have atypical presentations.1–4 Plasmodium vivax is one of the leading causes of febrile illness in endemic areas of Asia, Central America, South America, and Africa. Malaria relapses characterize P. vivax infections due to dormant parasite in the liver known as hypnozoites.5 These hypnozoites can be activated by a systemic illness or, in some cases, by other infectious diseases like salmonella typhi.6 We report a case of P. vivax malaria relapse associated with a COVID-19 (viral illness) co-infection, suggesting a possible role of COVID-19 in inducing current malarial relapse.

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Published in: Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/rrtm.s292157