Diseases

Malaria

A protozoan disease caused in humans by four species of the PLASMODIUM genus: PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM; PLASMODIUM VIVAX; PLASMODIUM OVALE; and PLASMODIUM MALARIAE; and transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito of the genus ANOPHELES. Malaria is endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Oceania, and certain Caribbean islands. It is characterized by extreme exhaustion associated with paroxysms of high FEVER; SWEATING; shaking CHILLS; and ANEMIA. Malaria in ANIMALS is caused by other species of plasmodia.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A protozoan disease caused in humans by four species of the PLASMODIUM genus: PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM; PLASMODIUM VIVAX; PLASMODIUM OVALE; and PLASMODIUM MALARIAE; and transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito of the genus ANOPHELES. Malaria is endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Oceania, and certain Caribbean islands. It is characterized by extreme exhaustion associated with paroxysms of high FEVER; SWEATING; shaking CHILLS; and ANEMIA. Malaria in ANIMALS is caused by other species of plasmodia.

MeSH Record

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MeSH Record

Synonyms

9 entry terms
  • Infections, Plasmodium
  • Marsh Fever
  • Paludism
  • Plasmodium Infections
  • Remittent Fever
  • Fever, Marsh
  • Fever, Remittent
  • Infection, Plasmodium
  • Plasmodium Infection

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

36 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemically induced, classification, complications, congenital, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, diet therapy, drug therapy, economics, embryology, enzymology, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, genetics, history, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, mortality, nursing, parasitology, pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control, psychology, radiotherapy, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, transmission, urine, veterinary, virology.

MeSH Record

Indexing Annotation

general or unspecified; prefer specifics; specify Plasmodium species if possible but note P. falciparum malaria equals MALARIA, FALCIPARUM; P. vivax malaria equals MALARIA, VIVAX; tertian malaria equals MALARIA, VIVAX, quartan malaria: coordinate with PLASMODIUM MALARIAE; malariotherapy equals HYPERTHERMIA, INDUCED: do not confuse with MALARIA /ther

MeSH Record

History Note

MALARIA CONTROL was heading 1963-66

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Numbers

  1. C01w.610w.752w.530w
  2. C01w.920.852w.750w

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Malaria. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D008288. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D008288
  2. Malaria. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria
  3. Malaria. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12156