Malaria tropica in Antwerp

A 74-year-old patient of Belgian origin living in Antwerp, who never travelled outside Europe
and did not leave Belgium in the past 3 years, was diagnosed with malaria tropica mid-January
2015. Twelf % of the red blood cells were infected with Plasmodium falciparum. At the end of
January she recovered after treatment with artesunate, followed by piperaquine tetraphosphate,
dihydroartemisinin and doxycycline. Despite active case finding, no other cases of malaria were
found. Possible sources of infection were investigated. Also mosquito trapping (BG-Sentinel™) and
larval sampling were performed in the proximity of her house and in the Zoo of Antwerp. Source
finding did not provide definitive results, but Anopheles claviger, a competent vector, was found
at 800m from the patients house. However, the low number of Anopheles caught and the winter
season. make local transmission unlikely. The most probable route of infection was an incidental
contact with an infectious mosquito, imported by suitcase, although we cannot exclude transmission
by local vectors. Even without a travel history, considering malaria in patients with ongoing fever
and hemolysis, is regarded as important.

Publication year:2016

Accessibility:Closed