Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

10:22
Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum
Published on: December 4, 2015
[Port malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum a case report]
Le Infezioni in Medicina
|January 1, 1996
Summary
This case report details an unusual Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission in Italy, likely via an imported vector. It highlights the risk of malaria in non-endemic areas due to global trade.
Area of Science:
- Tropical medicine
- Infectious disease epidemiology
- Parasitology
Context:
- Reports an unusual Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission case in North-West Italy.
- The patient had no recent travel history to endemic areas or history of drug abuse.
- The patient's recent locations (Piemonte urban area, Ligurian sea resort) are not typically associated with malaria transmission.
Purpose:
- To document and analyze an atypical case of malaria transmission.
- To investigate potential routes of infection in a non-endemic setting.
Summary:
- A patient in Italy contracted Plasmodium falciparum malaria despite no travel to endemic regions.
- The likely transmission route involved a live malaria vector imported into a port terminal near a resort area.
- This suggests a novel pathway for malaria introduction into previously unaffected regions.
Impact:
- Highlights the potential for malaria re-emergence in non-endemic areas.
- Underscores the importance of vector surveillance in port terminals and coastal regions.
- Informs public health strategies for malaria prevention and control in Europe.
Related Concept Videos
Symbiosis
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
Diversity of Protists II
Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a severe tick-borne illness caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a Gram-negative, coccobacillary bacterium. This pathogen is an obligate intracellular parasite, requiring a host cell for replication. Transmission occurs through the bite of an infected tick. In the United States, the most important vectors are Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) and Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick), though other tick species may also serve as vectors.
Plague
Plague is a highly virulent zoonotic disease caused by Yersinia pestis, a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic coccobacillus. This pathogen primarily circulates among rodent populations and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected fleas. Additional transmission routes include direct contact with infected animal tissue or inhalation of respiratory droplets from individuals with pneumonic plague. These multiple transmission pathways highlight the bacterium’s potential for rapid...
Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...

