Unpleasant Souvenir: Imported Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Türkiye

Objective: Each year, approximately 125 million people visit malaria-endemic countries. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections in Türkiye. Methods: The study included patients diagnosed with P. falciparum malaria between 1996 and 2022. A retrospective evaluation was conducted on whole blood samples and/or blood smears, as well as detailed medical histories, clinical manifestations, and laboratory findings. A total of 131 imported cases of P. falciparum were included in the study. Results: Among the patients, 121 were male. Of these, 101 had traveled to Africa, while 30 had visited Asia. Among the patients, 109 were returned travelers, and 22 were refugees/migrants. Early trophozoites were observed in all patients, while gametocytes were detected in 30 patients. Cerebral malaria developed in 15 patients, resulting in the death of two individuals. Additionally, 10 patients received preventive chemoprophylaxis. Conclusion: Turkey is situated on migration routes that connect two continents to Europe, where more than 95% of the global malaria burden exists. The importation of malaria through returned travelers poses a risk of malaria reintroduction in our country, given the presence of suitable vectors, climate conditions, and environmental factors. Importantly, 30 patients (22.9%) exhibited gametocyte forms of P. falciparum, which have the potential to infect Anopheles species, thus establishing a basis for local malaria transmission..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2023

Erschienen:

2023

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:47

Enthalten in:

Türkiye Parazitoloji Dergisi - 47(2023), 4, Seite 204-208

Sprache:

Englisch ; Türkisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Ahmet Özbilgin [VerfasserIn]
Varol Tunalı [VerfasserIn]
Şebnem Şenol Akar [VerfasserIn]
İbrahim Çavuş [VerfasserIn]
Orçun Zorbozan [VerfasserIn]
Ahmet Yıldırım [VerfasserIn]
Nevin Turgay [VerfasserIn]

Links:

doi.org [kostenfrei]
doaj.org [kostenfrei]
www.turkiyeparazitolderg.org [kostenfrei]
Journal toc [kostenfrei]

Themen:

Fever
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Malaria
Medicine
Migration
R
Türkiye
Travel medicine

doi:

10.4274/tpd.galenos.2023.99815

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

DOAJ097999741