BT and MT Malaria

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QUESTION:

What is MT and BT malaria?

ANSWER:

“MT” stands for “malignant tertian” and “BT” stands for “benign tertian” malaria. Tertian malaria describes fever which occurs every other day, in cycles. Of the main types of human malaria, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale are the most stereotypically tertian. P. falciparum can be tertian, but it is more erratic and due to its severity, can result in increased frequency of fever. “Malignant” and “benign” refers to the severity of the disease. Malignant malaria is severe and sometimes fatal, whereas benign malaria is less acute and rarely results in death.

Clinical malaria, taking chloroquine

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QUESTION:

Patient having malaria. Taking chloroquine. Then temp becomes normal but headache occurred. What to do?

ANSWER:

One of our collaborating medical doctors kindly assisted in answering this question. She suggests more clinical information is required; what type of malaria is the chloroquine being used for, for example? Also, the headache should not be from the drug, suggesting there is another cause which should be investigated.

high fever after malaria is cured?

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QUESTION:

My dad was infected with malaria,and his blood platelets were depleted to 35000. He was immediately admitted to hospital. Now after 5 days of being admitted, he is getting high fever around 102 degrees every morning and evening. His blood platelets have increased to 3lac and all other reports are normal. According to the doctor, the malaria is cured, but they are not able to detect the reason for periodical high fever…is such fever common after malaria? What might be the reason? Please help.

ANSWER:

One of our collaborating medical doctors has kindly assisted in providing this answer. Fever can be from co-infection with a second strain/type of malaria, or from the drug being used to treat the malaria.  If his platelets were that low, then the likely type of malaria causing the infection would be Plasmodium falciparum, or a particularly heavy P. vivax burden, or infection with both. If he was/is in the hospital, other causes for fever could also be the IV line/another drug being given, complications such as pneumonia from being at bedrest or so ill, cholecystitis from not eating due to illness, DVT or blood clots in legs from immobility….there are many possibilities. More information would be needed to distinguish between these options.

Malaria and Jaundice

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QUESTION:

Why are patients suffering with malaria more susceptible to jaundice?

ANSWER:

The icterus/jaundice is usually from lysis/breakdown of infected red blood cells as they rupture and release new malaria parasites into the bloodstream.  If only 1% of red cells are infected, this will be mild.  If “parasitaemia” is severe/life threatening, say, 10% of red cells infected, then the jaundice will be dramatic as well as a risk for catastrophic organ failure from cell breakdown, iron deposition into capillaries/small blood vessels in brain/kidneys/liver. In such cases, exchange blood transfusion could be life-saving.