A new clinical variant of the post-malaria neurological syndrome

Post-malaria neurological syndrome (PMNS) is an uncommon, monophasic illness that occurs within two months following recovery from Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria. Clinical manifestations of PMNS are variable, but published cases uniformly feature neurological and/or psychiatric symptoms without long tract signs. We describe a case of severe brainstem and spinal cord inflammation with paraplegia and sphincter involvement in a 48 year old woman following recovery from a Pf malarial illness. We propose that this case represents a previously unreported form of PMNS, which has features that distinguish it from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and that the recognised clinical spectrum of PMNS should be extended to include brainstem and spinal cord inflammation.