Quartan malaria

Plasmodium vivax, responsible for the most prevalent form of malaria (benign tertian), has an incubation period of 8—27 days (14 average). A variety seen in northern and northeastern Europe has an incubation period as long as 8—10 months. The disease can cause splenic mpture and anemia. Relapses (renewed manifestations of erythrocytic infection) can occur with this type of malaria. Overall, P. vivax is stiU susceptible to chloroquine however, resistant strains have been reported from Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia. Plasmodium malariae the cause of quartan malaria, has an incubation period of 15—30 days and its asexual cycle is 72 hours. This mildest form of malaria can cause nephritis in addition to the usual symptoms. It is a nonrelapsing type of malaria but the ted blood ceU infection can last for many years. No resistance to chloroquine by this plasmodium has been reported. Plasmodium ovale responsible for ovale tertian malaria, has an incubation period of 9—17 days (15 average). Relapses can occur in people infected with this plasmodium. No chloroquine resistance has been reported for this parasite. 

Quartan malaria is caused by Plasmodium malariae (incubation period of 18-40 days), tertian malaria by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale (incubation period of 10 to 18 days), and tropical malaria by Plasmodium falciparum (incubation period of 7 to 14 days) ... 

Nguyen-Dinh, P., Campbell, c. C., and Collins, W. E. (1980). Cultivation in vitro of the quartan malaria parasite Plasmodium inui. Science 209,1249-1252. 

The causal organisms responsible for malaria belong to the genus plasmodium which is of the class of protozoa known as sporozoa. There are four different species which are accepted as being responsible for human malaria. These are Plasmodium malariae, the parasite of quartan malaria Plasmodium vivax, the parasite of benign tertian malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite of malignant or sub tertian malaria, and Plasmodium ovale, the parasite that causes a mild type of tertian malaria. 

Quartan malaria is caused by infection with P. malariae. Although the mildest form of the disease, it is the most persistent, and relapses may take place years after the primary infection. Indeed, the parasite can produce cases of transfusion-induced malaria in non-immune subjects receiving infected blood. The geographical distribution of P. malariae is similar to that of P. falciparum. 

Quartan malaria—Attacks occur every fourth day, or 72 hours apart hence, the name quartan. 

Human malaria is caused by four species of Plasmodium namely Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale. P. vivax is mainly responsible for most of the infections (70%) which results in benign tertian malaria. In P. falciparum and P. vivax infections, the patient has fever with rigors every third day and termed as tertian. The other two, P. ovale and P. malariae are mild in nature in which fever develops every fourth day and termed as benign quartan. Symptoms and complications in P. falciparum malaria are more severe than P. vivax malaria. 

Both mithridatium and galene were taken orally with water or wine, but were also used topically on the skin, or even in the eye. The theriac, galene, was also used by Galen to treat quartan fever (malaria), which was prevalent in the Pontine Marshes near Rome. Aetius (first century ad) stated that beyond question the best remedy for venomous bites is theriac of Andromachus, applied as a plaster- The patient should also drink this theriac or mithridatium or some similar compound . 

Plasmodium malariae is responsibie for quartan maiaria. it has an incubation period of 2 to 4 weeks (average, 3 weeks). The asexuai cycie occurs every 72 hours. In addition to the usual symptoms, this form aiso causes nephritis. This is the miidest form of malaria and does not reiapse. The RBC infection associated with P. malariae can iast for many years. The P. malariae is quite uniikeiy to become resistant. 

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