SARS-CoV-2 and Plasmodium falciparum coinfection: a case report

A rare case of coinfection of Plasmodium falciparum and SARS-CoV-2 disease in Croatia is presented in this report.

We tracked epidemiological and laboratory findings in a patient with SARS-CoV-2 and Plasmodium falciparum coinfection. A complete blood count was performed using the Sysmex XN-2000 analyser (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan), coagulation analyses were performed using the BCS XP coagulometer (Siemens Healthineers AG, Erlangen, Germany). Procalcitonin (PCT) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) using the Cobas e411 (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) analyser and high sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) was measured using the Dimension EXL with LM analyser (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Newark, USA). All other biochemistry analyses were performed using the Olympus AU680 (Beckman Coulter, Brea, California, USA) analyser. White blood cell differential analysis has been performed by examining the blood smear using the CellaVision DM1200 (CellaVision AB, Lund, Sweden) automatic analyser.

Even though the patient's initial health condition was disturbed, as a result of the physician's comprehensive anamnesis accompanied by laboratory findings, prompt diagnosis and appropriate therapy were assured, and consequently, the patient recovered.

In a pandemic, testing each febrile patient for the SARS-CoV-2 virus is of essential importance. However, the possibility of coinfection with another infectious disease agent cannot be disregarded.