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Co-infection of hepatitis E virus and Plasmodium falciparum malaria: A genuine risk in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND: There is a high prevalence of malaria and viral hepatitis in South Africa. Co-infection with Plasmodium malaria (leading to cerebral malaria) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a rare phenomenon. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33-year-old African American male with no past medical history developed al...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Sahra, Syeda, Jahangir, Abdullah, Iqbal, Qasim Zafar, Mobarakai, Neville, Glaser, Allison, Jahangir, Ahmad
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: BioMed Central 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8056203/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33879247
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04723-4
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: There is a high prevalence of malaria and viral hepatitis in South Africa. Co-infection with Plasmodium malaria (leading to cerebral malaria) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a rare phenomenon. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33-year-old African American male with no past medical history developed altered mental status on his return from Ivory Coast. His blood tests were significant for renal and liver failure and a high Plasmodium parasite burden of 33% on the blood smear. Interestingly, he also had a positive result for hepatitis E IgM. The patient was effectively treated with aggressive hydration and intravenous (IV) artesunate. CONCLUSION: Our report is the first to our knowledge in the cerebral malaria literature on a patient with hepatitis E co-infection. This exciting case emphasizes the importance of considering all kinds of endemic infectious diseases when evaluating sick returning travelers presenting to the emergency department.