Two cases of malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum resulting in death: postmortem identification

Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum, a malaria agent, is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in people who travel to the regions where this parasite is endemic. A 53-year old Turkish man was sent for an autopsy after death due to malaria complications from Mozambique. A 65-year-old German man was intubated at the airport due to the impaired overall status and admitted to the intensive care unit. The patient could not be diagnosed and died. The next day, an autopsy was performed on the patient. Malaria pigment was seen within the blood cells at the Giemsa staining of blood in both cases. Plasmodium falciparum DNA was positive in the analysis performed with blood samples from the patients. Postmortem sampling and demonstration of plasmodium DNA is among the important methods for diagnosis in cases with sudden death and a history of travel to foreign countries, where the antemortem diagnosis cannot be made.