Answer Happy

Case study 2 Part A: A 44-year-old man is seen by his physician in the US, during a weekend, for suspected malaria. The patient was born in Pakistan but has lived in the US for the past 12 years. He travels frequently back to Pakistan to visit friends and relatives. His last visit there was for two months, when he did not take malaria prophylaxis, returning 11 months before the current episode. Short Answer Question 4: Based on the patient's clinical history, what is your most probable pathogen? (20 points) Part B: He was diagnosed with malaria and treated at a local hospital. The blood smear at that time was reported by the hospital as 'positive for malaria, species undetermined'. He was then treated with 2 days of intravenous fluids (nature unknown) and tablets (nature unknown), when he recovered. The diagnosis of P. vivax malaria is later confirmed by review of a blood smear available from the first episode (Figure), and by a positive PCR test for P. vivax on blood collected during the current episode. Short Answer Question 5: What two preliminary tests should be performed to confirm the patient's current infection? How does each inform the diagnosis and how are they used in tandem? (20 points)