A Patient with Severe Malaria and COVID-19: How Do You Tell the Difference between These Infections?

Maria João Correia; Luciana Frade; Renato Guerreiro; Inês Araujo; Teresa Baptista; Cândida Fonseca; Kamal Mansinho

doi:10.12890/2020_002007

A Patient with Severe Malaria and COVID-19: How Do You Tell the Difference between These Infections?

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020 Nov 13;7(12):002007. doi: 10.12890/2020_002007. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Maria João Correia^{1

2}, Luciana Frade^{1

2}, Renato Guerreiro^{1

2}, Inês Araujo^{1

2}, Teresa Baptista^{1

3}, Cândida Fonseca^{1

2}, Kamal Mansinho^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ COVID Department, Hospital São Francisco Xavier, Lisboa, Portugal.
² Internal Medicine Department, Hospital São Francisco Xavier, Lisboa, Portugal.
³ Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Egas Moniz, Lisboa, Portugal.

Abstract

Coronavirus infection, known as COVID-19, is characterized by clinical, epidemiological and biological features similar to those of malaria. In each case, fever, myalgia, fatigue, headaches and gastrointestinal symptoms may be present. Both diseases can also induce a cytokine storm and pro-coagulant states. An appropriate epidemiological approach and differential diagnosis are very important so that the right clinical intervention can be selected. Malaria remains a serious global public health issue, especially in endemic countries. Elimination campaigns are helping to control the disease, but in many countries these programs are now at risk of failure due to logistic and economic problems caused by COVID-19. The authors describe the case of a patient with co-infection with malaria and COVID-19, reminding us that during this coronavirus pandemic it is critical to consider other diagnoses, particularly in people traveling between countries.

Learning points: As far as we know, this is one of the first case reports of co-infection with COVID-19 and Plasmodium falciparum malaria.It is important to be aware of the clinical challenges of diagnosing the cause of fever in returned travellers.

Keywords: COVID-19; Plasmodium falciparum; SARS-CoV-2; malaria.