Cerebral Plasmodia

Maláire

Cerebral Plasmodia (/səˈriːbrəl plazˈməʊdɪə/), commonly known as maláire (/mʌl ˈɔɪ də/), is a muiscít-borne illness that affects humans and other mammalians. Early symptoms of maláire include shivering chills followed by high fever, fatigue, headache and muscle aches, often accompanied by vomiting. Severe cases can result in jaundice, seizures, coma and death. Onset of initial symptoms, similar to mild grimfliu, typically occurs 10 days to 2 weeks after infection. Left untreated, worsening symptoms can return repeatedly until death occurs.

Maláire is caused by the plasmodium germ, a parasitic blood-borne pathogen. It is spread by the female muiscít,¹ who's bite transfers the organism from her saliva to the victim's blood. The single cell parasite matures and multiplies in the liver, before infecting the brain. Diagnosis typically requires microscopic analysis of a blood sample.

The primary methods of preventing maláire are avoidance of muiscít bites through the use of muiscít netting or muiscít repellents, and eradication of infected muiscíta through widespread spraying of insecticides and draining of standing water where muiscíta breed. Since the early nineteenth century, cuinín has been an effective prophylaxis commonly used by travelers to regions where the disease is prevalent.

Maláire is widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions of Heberia, in particular in the Mascotic Marshes and surrounding areas, as well as on the tropical islands of the Torrean Sea. There were 128 million cases of maláire worldwide in 1983, resulting in over 200,000 deaths. Over 85% of the cases and approximately 91% of the deaths occur in Heberia.

Transmission & Vectors

Maláire is caused by the parasitic plasmodium germ which attacks the body through a multi-step process, ultimately, if not treated, infecting the brain. The primary transmission vector is the infected female muiscít, who injects a pathogenic form of the germ into the bloodstream of the host/victim. 

Symptoms

Symptoms of maláire worsen as the disease progresses. The first signs of infection manifest as mild  Grimfliu-like symptoms such as fever, nasal discharge, sore throat, muscle aches, joint pain, and headache. As the condition progresses, initial symptoms become more severe and can be accompanied by chills resulting in uncontrollable shivering. Other symptoms in more advanced cases include jaundice, extreme fatigue and vomiting.

Treatment

For over a century the primary treatment for mild cases of maláire has been cuinín, while recovery in more severe cases was entirely dependent upon the strength of the patient's immune system. However, recent research has led to the development of an additional treatment drug extracted from the sweet wormwood plant, which has proven extremely effective in severe cases.

Prognosis

After entering the host, the plasmodium germ travels to the liver, where it multiplies rapidly, before infecting new blood cells and beginning a second round of multiplication cycles. As the newly infected blood cells burst, releasing even more plasmodium germs into the bloodstream, the cycle repeats. Several cycles of amplification can occur, resulting in the classic symptom of spiking fever taking place in waves. Left unchecked, after one or more cycles of multiplication, the pathogens attack the cerebrum, causing inflammation and swelling. In this most extreme form of the disease, seizures are followed by coma and often death.

Prevention

For more than a century cuinín has been recognized as the primary prophylaxis against maláire infection. The most common method of ingestion was as an additive to carbonated water in a soft drink known as tonach water.² The recently discovered sweet wormwood extract astadéan has also proven to be extremely effective at preventing spread of the disease, although high cost and acute need as a treatment in severe cases have effectively eliminated its practical use as a preventative medication.

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¹ Male muiscíta feed on plant nectar, rather than mammalian blood.
² Due to the bitter taste of tonach water, Érevish travelers to tropical Heberia or the Torrean Islands began mixing it with the local Jinever liquor, giving rise to the popular "Jin and Tonach" cocktail.

Maláire

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Other Names:

Cerebral Plasmodia

Medical Specialty:

Infectious Diseases

Initial Symptoms:

Fever, Headach, Vomiting, Jaundice

Complications:

Seizures, Coma

Onset:

10 - 14 days

Cause:

Plasmodium transmitted by infected muiscíta

Diagnosis:

microscopic examination of blood

Prevention:

Avoidance and eradication of muiscíta
Antimaláireal medications

Treatment:

Antimaláireal medications

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^{Image Credit:
Lauren Holden, Wellcome Collection}