A case of Plasmodium malariae recurrence: recrudescence or reinfection?

BACKGROUND: Plasmodium malariae is the most neglected of the six human malaria species and it is still unknown which is the mechanism underlying the long latency of this Plasmodium. CASE PRESENTATION: A case of PCR-confirmed P. malariae recurrence in a 52-year old Italian man was observed 5 months after a primary attack. In the interval between the two observed episodes of malaria the patient denied any further stay in endemic areas except for a visit to Libya, a country considered malaria-free. Genomic DNA of the P. malariae strain using five microsatellites (PM2, PM9, PM11, PM25, PM34) and the antigen marker of circumsporozoite (csp) was amplified and sequenced. Analysis of polymorphisms of the P. malariae csp central repeat region showed differences between the strains responsible of the first and second episode of malaria. A difference in the allele size was also observed for the sequence analysis of PM2 microsatellites. CONCLUSIONS: Plasmodium malariae is a challenging human malaria parasite and even with the use of molecular techniques the pathogenesis of recurrent episodes cannot be precisely explained. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-019-2806-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.