Severe malaria caused by co-infection by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium ovale

Malaria is caused by infection by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium, and is a major cause of disease, especially in tropical areas. The diagnosis of malaria is based on clinical suspicion and detection of the parasites in the blood. Plasmodium falciparum is the species that causes most morbidity and mortality. The effect of multiple species co-infection on clinical outcomes of malaria is uncertain. If patients are not effectively treated in the early stages, the disease may progress to severe malaria, whose most common manifestations in adults are coma, metabolic acidosis, renal failure, severe jaundice, acute lung injury and ARDS. Severe malaria has a high mortality, even with appropriate treatment. We present a patient with severe malaria, secondary to co-infection by P. falciparum and P. ovale, with multiorgan dysfunction, which dramatically improved after admission to the Intensive Care Unit.