Take the MRSA Quiz! Strep or Sore Throat Slideshow Pictures Infectious Mononucleosis Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Follow-up

Patients with P. vivax or P. ovale may not be completely cured by the above medications, even though the symptoms resolve. This is because the parasites can hide in the liver. A medication called primaquine is used to eradicate the liver form, but this drug cannot be given to people who are deficient in an enzyme called G6PD.

Patients should report any recurrent fever or symptoms to their doctor because treatment failures may occur. People who have had malaria should not donate blood for at least three years after treatment and should notify the donation center that they have had malaria. People who traveled to areas where malaria occurs also should not donate for a period of time, which varies according to the circumstance. Contact the donation center for specific advice.