Malaria causes

Malaria Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Malaria from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Screening
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
Xray
Ultrasound
CT scan
MRI
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy
Future or Investigational Therapies
Case studies
Case #1
Malaria causes On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Malaria causes All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Malaria causes
CDC on Malaria causes
Malaria causes in the news
Blogs on Malaria causes
Directions to Hospitals Treating Malaria
Risk calculators and risk factors for Malaria causes

This page is about clinical aspects of the disease.  For microbiologic aspects of the causative organism(s), see Plasmodium.

For information on other species in Plasmodium, see Malaria causes (disambiguation).

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Yazan Daaboul, Serge Korjian, Alison Leibowitz [2]

Overview

Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. P. vivax is the most common cause of infection, responsible for about 80% of all malaria cases. P. falciparum, the most significant cause of disease, is responsible for about 15% of infections and 90% of deaths.

Causes

P. vivax is the most common cause of infection, responsible for about 80% of all malaria cases. P. falciparum, the most significant cause of disease, is responsible for about 15% of infections and 90% of deaths. The remainder of human malaria infections are caused by P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi.

The following table distinguishes between the different strains of Plasmodium species, all of which are causative agents of malarial infection.

Comparison of Plasmodium Species Implicated in Human Malaria ("Malaria". Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nov. 29 2013. Retrieved Jul 24 2014. )

Strain	Clinical Significance
P. falciparum	Tertian/subtertian fever (every 48 hours), causes severe malaria in up to 24% of cases, and is frequently drug resistant.
P. vivax	Tertian fever (every 48 hours), results in severe malaria in up to 22% of cases, and is frequently drug resistant. Relapse is common due to the dormant liver phase.
P. ovale	Tertian fever (every 48 hours), rarely causes severe malaria or drug resistance. Relapse is common due to dormant liver phase.
P. malariae	Quartan fever (every 72 hrs), rarely results in severe malaria or drug resistance. Although dormant liver phase is uncommon, infection persistence is frequently demonstrated.
P. knowlesi	Daily fevers, may result in severe malaria in up to 10% of cases, although resistance is rare.

^{Adapted from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Malaria}