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A high PCT level correlates with disease severity in Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children

Novella Carannante1, Marco Rossi1, Fiorentino Fraganza1,2

  • 1First Division of Infectious Diseases, Cotugno Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli, Napoli, Italy.

The New Microbiologica
|February 21, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Procalcitonin (PCT) may indicate severe malaria in children. This biomarker could help assess disease severity when parasite counts are unavailable.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Clinicians in developed countries often lack experience assessing imported malaria severity and monitoring high parasitemia.
  • High parasitemia is a known risk factor for severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
  • Rapid malaria diagnostic tests lack parasite quantification capabilities.

Observation:

  • Procalcitonin (PCT) levels have been linked to malaria severity.
  • Two pediatric cases of severe cerebral malaria with extremely high parasitemia (>25%) and elevated PCT levels admitted directly to the ICU are presented.

Findings:

  • Procalcitonin (PCT) showed a correlation with high parasitemia in severe pediatric cerebral malaria.
  • PCT may serve as a prognostic indicator for malaria severity in children.

Implications:

  • PCT could be a valuable tool for assessing severe P. falciparum malaria in children, particularly in resource-limited settings or when parasite counting is challenging.
  • This finding may aid in prompt clinical decision-making for pediatric malaria cases.

Keywords:
CytomegalovirusEncephalitisHemodialysis

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