Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by infection with Plasmodium protozoa transmitted by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. Plasmodium falciparum infection carries a poor prognosis with a high mortality if untreated, but it has an excellent prognosis if diagnosed early and treated appropriately.
Malarial merozoites in the peripheral blood. Note
Malarial merozoites in the peripheral blood. Note that several of the merozoites have penetrated the erythrocyte membrane and entered the cell.
Signs and symptoms
Patients with malaria typically become symptomatic a few weeks after infection, though the symptomatology and incubation period may vary, depending on host factors and the causative species. Clinical symptoms include the following:
Headache (noted in virtually all patients with malaria)
Cough
Fatigue
Malaise
Shaking chills
Arthralgia
Myalgia
Paroxysm of fever, shaking chills, and sweats (every 48 or 72 hours, depending on species)