Biomaterial Database

Mosquito-transmitted malaria acquired in Texas. 1996

S B Mundy, and A C White, and J S Hines, and B J Marino, and E J Young

Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Malaria was endemic in the United States before World War II. However, locally acquired malaria was thought to have been eradicated. Since the mid-1980s, cases of locally acquired malaria have been described. We report the case of a 62-year-old man who came to the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center with fever, malaise, and weakness and was found to have Plasmodium vivax infection on peripheral blood smear. He had not left the country for 37 years and had no previous history of malaria. On specific questioning, he mentioned heavy exposure to mosquitoes. Thus, malaria was presumably transmitted locally by mosquitoes. Subsequently, two other cases of apparently locally acquired, mosquito-transmitted malaria were identified in Houston. Symptoms, signs, and general laboratory test results do not typically suggest a specific diagnosis. Therefore, malaria should be considered in all patients with febrile illnesses, even those without a history of travel.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007303	Insect Vectors	Insects that transmit infective organisms from one host to another or from an inanimate reservoir to an animate host.	Insect Vector,Vector, Insect,Vectors, Insect
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009033	Culicidae	A family of the order DIPTERA that comprises the mosquitoes. The larval stages are aquatic, and the adults can be recognized by the characteristic WINGS, ANIMAL venation, the scales along the wing veins, and the long proboscis. Many species are of particular medical importance.	Mosquitoes,Mosquitos,Mosquito
D010966	Plasmodium vivax	A protozoan parasite that causes vivax malaria (MALARIA, VIVAX). This species is found almost everywhere malaria is endemic and is the only one that has a range extending into the temperate regions.	Plasmodium vivaxs,vivax, Plasmodium
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013781	Texas	State bounded on the north by Oklahoma, on the east by Arkansas and Louisiana, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by New Mexico.
D016780	Malaria, Vivax	Malaria caused by PLASMODIUM VIVAX. This form of malaria is less severe than MALARIA, FALCIPARUM, but there is a higher probability for relapses to occur. Febrile paroxysms often occur every other day.	Plasmodium vivax Malaria,Malaria, Plasmodium vivax,Vivax Malaria