{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T20:40:48Z","timestamp":1792701648675,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791244800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792627200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":16,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Parasitol Res"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Malaria remains a major global health threat, particularly in endemic regions of sub-Saharan Africa. In 2024 alone, an estimated 282\u00a0million cases were reported worldwide, with approximately 610,000 associated deaths. Beyond the high disease burden, mixed-species\n                    <jats:italic>Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n                    infections represent an additional clinical challenge, as they are frequently underdiagnosed and may significantly complicate both diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic management even in non-endemic countries. We report the case of a 67-year-old man from Guinea who presented to the Emergency Department with high-grade fever and asthenia shortly after returning to Italy; initial microbiological investigations were negative, despite markedly elevated inflammatory markers were diagnosed. The patient reported a previous untreated malaria episode approximately six months earlier, raising suspicion of a novel\n                    <jats:italic>Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n                    infection. A comprehensive malaria diagnostic workflow was promptly initiated, integrating rapid immunoenzymatic testing (IE), microscopy, and molecular assays. The IE test suggested\n                    <jats:italic>Plasmodium falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n                    or a mixed infection as result, while loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP-PCR) confirmed the presence of\n                    <jats:italic>Plasmodium spp<\/jats:italic>\n                    DNA. Microscopic examination of stained blood smears revealed typical\n                    <jats:italic>P. falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n                    ring forms and suspected\n                    <jats:italic>P. ovale<\/jats:italic>\n                    trophozoites; so, species-specific real-time PCR confirmed a mixed infection with\n                    <jats:italic>P. falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic>P. ovale<\/jats:italic>\n                    , supporting prompt antimalarial treatment. Final molecular confirmation was achieved by Sanger sequencing, which identified the\n                    <jats:italic>Plasmodium ovalecurtisi<\/jats:italic>\n                    as co-aetiological agent of disease. The rapid and integrated diagnostic approach enabled timely initiation of appropriate antimalarial therapy with artemether\u2013lumefantrine and primaquine, leading to complete clinical recovery and gene sequencing allowed a correct species confirmation and epidemiological characterization. This case highlights the importance of combining microscopic analysis with advanced molecular diagnosis for an accurate identification of mixed\n                    <jats:italic>Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n                    infections even in country and contributes novel epidemiological data through molecular characterization of\n                    <jats:italic>P. ovalecurtisi<\/jats:italic>\n                    in an imported case.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00436-026-08778-z","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T13:07:56Z","timestamp":1791292076000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Imported mixed malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium ovalecurtisi: An Italian case report"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"125","author":[{"given":"Cataldo Maria","family":"Mannavola","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gianluca","family":"Quaranta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vanessa","family":"Di Pietro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valentina","family":"Siciliano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Fancello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"De Vivo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Maiuro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonella","family":"Cingolani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maurizio","family":"Sanguinetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo","family":"Torti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luca","family":"Masucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"8778_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Aniweh Y, Soulama A, Chirawurah J, Ansah F, Danwonno HA, Sogore F et al (2023) Comparative susceptibility of plasmodium ovale and plasmodium falciparum field isolates to reference and lead candidate antimalarial drugs in Ghana. Microbiol Spectr 11(3). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/spectrum.04916-22","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.04916-22"},{"key":"8778_CR13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.43.2.1011.2005","author":"C Bigaillon","year":"2005","unstructured":"Bigaillon C, Fontan E, Cavallo JD, Hernandez E, Spiegel A (2005) Ineffectiveness of the binax NOW malaria test for diagnosis of Plasmodium ovale malaria [6]. J Clin Microbiol. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/JCM.43.2.1011.2005","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"key":"8778_CR18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Calderaro A, Piccolo G, Perandin F, Gorrini C, Peruzzi S, Zuelli C et al (2007) Genetic polymorphisms influence Plasmodium ovale PCR detection accuracy. 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