Plasmodium falciparum--malaria in pregnant African immigrants often goes unrecognized

Abstract

We report four cases of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria in pregnant African women. They had immigrated to Finland 3 to 13 months earlier. The disease was revealed only by anemia. The diagnosis relied on blood smear which showed a parasitemia <0.2% in three cases. Medical personnel should be informed about the possibility of afebrile forms of malaria in pregnant women even months after immigration. Very low levels of parasitemia may call for a more sensitive diagnostic approach such as polymerase chain reaction.