Plasmodium ovale--a case report from Gujarat.

Abstract

The geographical distribution of the four human malaria parasite species–Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale is variable and is dependent on a number of factors such as season, endemicity and vector distribution. P. vivax is the most widely distributed and the most common spe-cies observed in temperate regions of the world, while P. falciparum is the most widespread through-out the world’s tropics1. Records of P. ovale infection are scanty in all geographical areas of the malaria-en-demic world, with the exception of tropical Africa. P. ovale is seldom seen except in sub-Saharan Africa and on some islands of the western Pacific. However, in some parts of the tropical western Pacif-ic region P. ovale appears more consistently. A prev-