Malaria and COVID-19 in an Indigenous Patient, Overlapping of Two Febrile Illnesses

Year 2022, Volume: 12 Issue: 01, 27 - 30, 15.03.2022

Isabella Suarez Rafael Giner Diana De Oliveira Marcel Yibirin

https://doi.org/10.5799/jmid.1086183

https://izlik.org/JA43GT79AT

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Malaria is a parasitic infection caused by the parasite genus Plasmodium. We present the case of a 69-year-old male indigenous patient from Amazonas, Venezuela, who complained of fever, cough, loss of taste and smell, and diarrhea. A SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was positive, and treatment was started. However, over the next few days, his condition worsened. In addition to his previous symptoms, the patient reported profuse sweating accompanied by fever and myalgia. Therefore, a blood smear and ELISA were performed, which were positive for Plasmodium falciparum, for which treatment with antimalarial agents was also started. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2022; 12(1):27-30.

Keywords

COVID-19 , Malaria , Coinfection , Plasmodium falciparum , SARS-CoV-2

References

• 1. Di Gennaro F, Marotta C, Locantore P, Pizzol D, Putoto G. Malaria and COVID-19: Common and Different Findings. Trop Med Infect Dis 2020; 5(3):141.
• 2. Ajayi IO, Ajumobi OO, Falade C. Malaria and COVID-19: commonalities, intersections and implications for sustaining malaria control. Pan Afr Med J 2020; 37 (Suppl 1):1. doi: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.37.1.25738.
• 3. Hassan MI, Dafallah AA, Ahmed O, Homeida A. Malaria and COVID-19: unmasking their ties. Malar J 2020;19:457.
• 4. Gutman JR, Lucchi NW, Cantey PT, et al. Malaria and Parasitic Neglected Tropical Diseases: Potential Syndemics with COVID-19? Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020;103(2):572-7.
• 5. Correia MJ, Frade L, Guerreiro R, et al. A Patient with Severe Malaria and COVID-19: How Do You Tell the Difference between These Infections? Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2020;7(12):002007.
• 6. Zawawi A, Alsaady I, Gattan H, Zakai H, Couper K. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on malaria elimination. Paras Epidemiol Control 2020;11;e00187.
• 7. Rogerson, Beeson J, Laman M, et al. Identifying and combating the impacts of COVID-19 on malaria. BMC Med. 2020;18:239.
• 8. Gendrot M, Andreani J, Boxberger M, et al. Antimalarial drugs inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2: An in vitro evaluation. Travel Med Infect Dis 2020;37:101873.