Plasmodium malariae malaria

Plasmodium malariae malaria is a malaria infection caused by the parasite Plasmodium malariae, which the sources identify as the agent of quartan malaria ^[1]. The organism is reported as prevalent across tropical and subtropical regions, although the cited literature also characterizes globally recognized cases as usually very rare and sporadic ^[1]. One source on the record is a review titled "Imported Plasmodium malariae malaria," but the provided snippet does not supply additional definitional detail ^[3].

The provided snippets do not give a source-backed clinical syndrome description, symptom sequence, or complication profile for Plasmodium malariae malaria ^[1][2]. The Vietnamese outbreak report states that it presents epidemiological and clinical characteristics, but the abstract excerpt supplied here does not enumerate those findings ^[1]. Likewise, the China epidemiology paper provides case counts and classification but does not, in the snippet provided, specify symptom severity, fever pattern, chronicity, or organ complications ^[2]. As a result, source-backed detail on the clinical course is not yet available from this payload ^[1][2].

The sources describe Plasmodium malariae malaria as prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, while also emphasizing that reported global cases have usually been rare and sporadic ^[1]. A notable exception is a significant outbreak in Khanh Vinh District, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam in 2023, which the abstract says persisted after detection ^[1]. In China, 581 cases were reported from 2013 to 2022, with cases mainly concentrated in adults aged 20-59 years and with no significant trend by month ^[2]. The China report further classifies the cases as 567 imported cases from 41 countries across 8 regions, six indigenous cases in a small outbreak in Hainan, seven recurrent cases in Guangdong and Shanghai, and one induced case in Shanghai ^[2].

The provided snippets do not directly state a route of transmission or exposure mechanism for Plasmodium malariae malaria ^[1][2]. They do, however, distinguish imported, indigenous, recurrent, and induced cases in surveillance data, indicating that case detection may reflect both travel-associated importation and local transmission events ^[2]. Beyond this epidemiologic pattern, source-backed detail on transmission dynamics is not yet available from the supplied material ^[1][2].

The provided sources do not identify specific biological or occupational risk groups with enough detail to support a firm risk profile ^[1][2]. The clearest source-backed epidemiologic concentration is in adults aged 20-59 years in the China surveillance series, but the snippet does not explain why this age group was most affected ^[2]. Imported cases from multiple countries are also documented, suggesting that travelers or persons with travel-associated exposure may be represented, but the snippet does not explicitly define them as a risk group ^[2].

The supplied sources do not provide explicit preventive measures, vector-control recommendations, chemoprophylaxis guidance, or vaccine information for Plasmodium malariae malaria ^[1][2]. What can be supported from the evidence is the importance of surveillance attention to imported and locally acquired cases, since the China report notes extensive importation and limited indigenous and recurrent transmission ^[2]. Preventive detail beyond this surveillance implication is not yet available in the provided snippets ^[1][2].

In surveillance context, Plasmodium malariae malaria should be read as a comparatively neglected malaria species that may be overlooked against P. falciparum and P. vivax ^[2]. The sources support a dual pattern of concern: uncommon global occurrence with sporadic importations, and the possibility of localized outbreaks that may persist once established ^[1][2]. Case reports and routine surveillance data therefore remain important for identifying imported introductions, small indigenous clusters, and unexpected outbreak activity ^[2].

1. 1 Khanh CV et al. Unprecedented large outbreak of Plasmodium malariae malaria in Vietnam: Epidemiological and clinical perspectives. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2025 Dec. PMID: 39558760. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2432359. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39558760/
2. 2 Zhang L et al. Epidemiological characteristics of Plasmodium malariae malaria in China: a malaria that should not be neglected post elimination. Infect Dis Poverty. 2023 Nov 20. PMID: 37986018. doi: 10.1186/s40249-023-01156-2. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37986018/
3. 3 Nishiyama T et al. Imported Plasmodium malariae malaria. Intern Med. 1993 Apr. PMID: 8358132. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.32.355. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8358132/
4. 4 Plasmodium malariae Malaria: From Monkey to Man? EBioMedicine. 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.08.035. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.08.035
5. 5 A case of imported Plasmodium malariae malaria. Japanese Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 1993. doi: 10.2149/tmh1973.21.127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2149/tmh1973.21.127
6. 6 A Case of Imported Plasmodium malariae Malaria. Annals of Laboratory Medicine. 2012. doi: 10.3343/alm.2012.32.3.229. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2012.32.3.229

ICD-10

B52

ICD-11

1F40

Total cases

0

Peak month

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Coverage

0 reporting countries · —