Congenital malaria: Is it really rare?

  • Dr. Jagdish Chandra Mandliya Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Ruxmaniben Deepchand Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, M.P., India
  • Dr. Rajesh Gupta Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Ruxmaniben Deepchand Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, M.P., India
Keywords: congenital malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, pregnancy, hepatosplenomegaly

Abstract

Congenital malaria is acquired from the mother prenatally or perinatally. In African countries congenital malaria is mainly caused by Plasmodium falciparum while in Asia and Europe, P.vivax is common. Postulated mechanism for congenital transmission of malaria parasites include maternal transfusion into the foetal circulation either at the time of delivery or during pregnancy, direct penetration through the chorionic villi or penetration through premature separation of placenta. Signs and symptoms include fever, restlessness, pallor, jaundice, poor feeding, vomiting, diarrhoea, cyanosis, hepatosplenomegaly and convulsions mostly between 10 and 30 days of age. Examination of peripheral blood by thick smear using light microscopy (LM) is the gold standard. Treatment of the congenital vivax malaria requires a blood schizonticide, like chloroquine. However, additional efforts should be made to establish safety profile, the correct dosage and formulation of Artemisinin-based combination therapy(ACT) in infants with a body weight of less than 5 kg.

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CITATION
DOI: 10.17511/ijmrr.2013.i04.12
Published: 2013-10-31
How to Cite
1.
Chandra Mandliya J, Gupta R. Congenital malaria: Is it really rare?. Int J Med Res Rev [Internet]. 2013Oct.31 [cited 2024Nov.22];1(4):195-02. Available from: https://ijmrr.medresearch.in/index.php/ijmrr/article/view/36
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Review Article