[A histologic study of brain in fatal cerebral malaria]

Plasmodium falciparum infection is an emergency because of the risk of cerebral malaria, that is the most severe complication. Malaria diagnosis is usually made on blood samples of feverish patients coming from endemic area. The pathologist is rarely confronted with malaria lesions. If the occasion arises, the diagnosis of malaria is often already known or suspected and the pathologist has to confirm it. Rarely, malaria is unknown before histological examination and the diagnosis is based on the identification of specific histological features. We report a case of sudden death due to cerebral malaria diagnosed on autopsy findings.