Long Incubation Period of Plasmodium vivax Malaria in Brazil
Author Information
Author(s): Patrícia Brasil, Anielle de Pina Costa, Renata Saraiva, Clarisse Bressan, Sidnei da Silva, Pedro Luiz Tauil, Cláudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro
Primary Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas (IPEC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro
Hypothesis
Can the incubation period of Plasmodium vivax malaria be extended in patients diagnosed outside the transmission area?
Conclusion
The study found that some patients experienced an incubation period for P. vivax malaria that was significantly longer than previously documented.
Supporting Evidence
- 63% of the patients diagnosed with malaria were infected with P. vivax.
- Seven patients had an estimated incubation period of 3 to 12 months.
- None of the patients had taken malaria chemoprophylaxis.
Takeaway
Some people can get malaria symptoms a long time after they come back from a trip, even if they didn't take medicine to prevent it.
Methodology
Descriptive study analyzing malaria patients who visited the clinic over five years.
Limitations
The study did not include children and relied on patient recall for exposure dates.
Participant Demographics
Patients were travelers, primarily from the Amazon region, with a mix of previous malaria history.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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