| Quartan fever | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P. malariae schizont in a thick blood smear | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
| Symptoms | Fever |
| Duration | Fever in 72 hour intervals |
| Causes | Plasmodium spread by mosquitos |
| Diagnostic method | Blood tests |
| Medication | Chloroquine |
Quartan fever is one of the four types of malaria which can be contracted by humans.[1]
It is specifically caused by the Plasmodium malariae species, one of the six species of the protozoan genus Plasmodium. Quartan fever is a form of malaria where an onset of fever occurs in an interval of three to four days, hence the name "quartan".[2] It is transmitted by bites of infected female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Symptoms include fevers which range from approximately 40–41 °C (104–106 °F) and occur periodically in 72 hour intervals. Although cases of malaria have occurred throughout the world, quartan fever typically occurs in the subtropics. Quartan fever is considered to be a less severe form of malaria fever that can be cured by anti-malarial medication, and prevention methods can be taken in order to avoid infection.[3]
- ^ Garcia, Célia R. S.; Markus, Regina P.; Madeira, Luciana (2001). "Tertian and Quartan Fevers: Temporal Regulation in Malarial Infection". Journal of Biological Rhythms. 16 (5): 436–443. doi:10.1177/074873001129002114. ISSN 0748-7304. PMID 11669417. S2CID 6409247.
- ^ "quartan". English Oxford living Dictionaries. 2019. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ Crutcher, James M. (1996). Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston: The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.