Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42306109›Full record

ArticleLe infezioni in medicina2026

Epidemiology of imported malaria in an area of North-Eastern Italy (2016-2025): clinical focus on cerebral malaria.

Lucia Corich, Maria Teresa Bortolin, Rosamaria Tedeschi, Mariateresa Casarotto, Antonella Pancino, Alberto Molaro, Valentina Anzanello, Giancarlo Basaglia, Maria Ada Corich

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Le infezioni in medicina, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Lucia CorichLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Maria Teresa BortolinLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Rosamaria TedeschiLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Mariateresa CasarottoLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Antonella PancinoLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Alberto MolaroLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Valentina AnzanelloLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Giancarlo BasagliaLaboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.
Maria Ada CorichDepartment of Neurology, Azienda Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: In non-endemic settings, imported malaria poses diagnostic challenges due to non-specific presentations and lack of immunity, especially in visiting friends and relatives (VFRs). Focusing on the Western Friuli (Italy) observatory, this work aims to optimize triage by identifying early severity predictors. Through the analysis of clinical parameters, paediatric cerebral cases, and host genetics - including an illustrative case of HbS/β-thalassaemia - we evaluate the drivers of Methods: This retrospective study (2016-2025) analysed symptomatic malaria cases in the Friuli Occidentale Health Authority, combining epidemiological data with illustrative clinical cases. Diagnosis was confirmed via microscopy and molecular methods. Using WHO/AMCLI criteria, we evaluated admission parameters, including procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and platelet count, to identify predictors of severe malaria, adopting a ≥2% parasitaemia threshold. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed via multivariable logistic regression and ROC analysis. Results: Of the 124 malaria cases ( Conclusions: Imported malaria remains a critical challenge due to unpredictable severity trends and non-specific onset of CM. PCT, combined with parasitaemia, outperformed CRP and platelet count as an independent predictor of severity. High PCT levels should serve as a "red flag" for immediate triage and parenteral therapy. Integrating PCT into clinical guidelines is essential for effective risk stratification and preventing life-threatening complications in non-endemic settings.

Indexed as

biomarkerscerebral malariaepidemiologyimported malariaPlasmodium falciparumsickle cell traitvisiting friends and relatives (VFRs)

Identifiers

PMID42306109
PMCPMC13267956

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.