[The clinical picture of imported malaria and its relation to P. falciparum parasitemia].

The paper summarizes the results of clinical examinations of imported malaria in 48 patients, semi-immune foreigners infected with P. falciparum and P. vivax/P. ovale. Of the objective manifestations, hepatosplenomegaly was predominant in P. falciparum infections (34%), whereas in P. vivax infections its occurrence rate was 19%. Body temperature over 38 degrees C with shivering had a higher frequency in P. vivax (81%) compared to P. falciparum (41%) infections. Pathologically altered hematologic values, particularly mild to medium increase in sedimentation rate, were found in all patients with P. vivax/P. ovale, while in patients infected with P. falciparum only in those whose parasitemia exceeded 10,000 trophozoites in 1 microliter blood. Reduced values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean erythrocyte volume are indicative of microcytic anemia of mild degree. Biochemical examinations yielded slightly increased values of the thymol turbidity test and mild reduction of serum proteins at simultaneous increase of albumins (8% of the patients examined). Of the parameters of humoral immunity, there was a rise in immunoglobulin values concerning particularly IgG and IgM, and that in all types of malarial infection studied. Increased values of circulating immunocomplexes had a high frequency rate with all plasmodial species, in P. falciparum infections independently of the degree of parasitemia. (Tab. 7, Ref. 13.)