[Congenital malaria--a rare neonatal infection]

Tropical diseases are rare in childhood in European countries, but tourism and an increasing number of immigrants from countries with endemic malaria may lead to a higher incidence. Our report is about a 24 year old german pregnant who was infected with malaria tropica in Togo during the last trimester of pregnancy. Twenty days after delivery by Caesarean section one of the geminies showed symptoms of florid infection: irritability, fever, haemolytic anaemia, hepato-splenomegaly, and thrombocytopenia. Both placenta and peripheral blood smear revealed plasmodium falciparum in the erythrocytes.