Quartan Malaria with Anemia and Thrombocytopenia

Nita Wiyono (Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya/Department of Clinical Pathology, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya)
Marisa Setiawan (Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya/Department of Clinical Pathology, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya)
Puspa Wardhani (Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya/Department of Clinical Pathology, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya/Institute of Tropical Disease, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya/Postgraduate Schoo)

Indonesian Journal of Clinical Pathology and Medical Laboratory (IJCPML)
Vol. 32 No. 2 (2026)

Malaria is a life-threatening result of infection by Plasmodium species. Indonesia reports the second largest number of malaria of the Asian continent. Plasmodium malariae infection is a rare form of malaria, and is characterized by a relatively low parasitic load. However, the disease can progress rapidly and, in the absence of treatment, may lead to death within hours or days. A male 42 y.o was admitted with sustained fever for 2 weeks and vomiting. The patient had a history of traveling of travel to an endemic area, Papua, 2 weeks prior to admission. A complete blood examination found anemia and thrombocytopenia, while a microscopic examination showed Plasmodium malariae species with  3,200/μL parasites. Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) showed a positive result for Pan. Compared to other Plasmodium species P. malariae remains neglected due to its low prevalence with relatively lower disease severity. Early diagnosis is crucial in preventing complications.