MALARIA: Congenital and Neonatal

Congenital Malaria due to Chloroquine-Resistant Plasmodium Vivax: A Case Report

Neonatology Unit, Mohan Children Hospital, Kanpur, India
Kriti Mohan
Abstract
The clinical manifestation of malaria in neonates and young infants is non-specific and differs from that of adults and older children. So a high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose malaria in early infancy. Chloroquine is the first-line treatment for Plasmodium vivax malaria in most parts of the world. This case report details a case of chloroquine-resistant malaria due to P. vivax by transplacental transmission from mother with mixed infection of P. falciparum and P. vivax in a 26-day-old young infant who presented with moderate grade fever and reviews the literature of malaria in infantile and neonatal age groups. And we concluded that high suspicion of malaria is needed to diagnose congenital malaria. Primigravida women with placental malaria pose high risk for congenital infection in baby and emerging chloroquine-resistant P. vivax in congenital malaria.
http://tropej.oxfordjournals.org/content/56/6/454.abstract?maxtoshow=&hits=23&RESULTFORMAT=&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&fulltext=malaria&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&usestrictdates=yes&resourcetype=HWCIT&ct

Oral Artesunate for Neonatal Malaria
K. Shreedhara Avabratha,
Abstract
A 24-day male baby presented with a history of fever and poor feeding. The baby was pale and had hepatosplenomegaly. Peripheral blood films revealed Plasmodium vivax. Chloroquine is the drug of choice in neonatal malaria. However, our patient did not respond to chloroquine. There has been very little experience with other drugs. This case highlights the use of oral artesunate to which the baby responded. The future may see its more frequent use in resistant malaria.
http://tropej.oxfordjournals.org/content/56/6/452.abstract?maxtoshow=&hits=23&RESULTFORMAT=&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&fulltext=malaria&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&usestrictdates=yes&resourcetype=HWCIT&ct