A case of Plasmodium falciparum infection presenting 10 years after emigration from an endemic country

Plasmodium falciparum is the most common causative agent of severe malaria infections. Following inoculation, the incubation period typically ranges from 10 to 14 days, and, unlike other malaria species, there is no hypnozoite phase in the life cycle capable of causing latency. Despite this, we now understand that subclinical P. falciparum infections are possible and may even represent the majority of infections in endemic areas. We report a case of severe P. falciparum malaria in a previously healthy West African immigrant with no history of travel to an endemic region for 10 years before the development of symptoms. This case illustrates the possibility of a locally acquired malaria infection, versus the phenomenon of a recrudescent P. falciparum infection following a prolonged subclinical carriage period.