A 3-year-old boy from West Africa presents with hepatosplenomegaly, jaundice, and severe anemia (hemoglobin 6.2 g/dL). Vital signs show temperature 38.9°C, heart rate 128/min, blood pressure 95/62 mmHg, and normal oxygen saturation. He reports recurrent malaria-like fevers over the past month but denies recent transfusions. Thick blood smear demonstrates crescent-shaped parasites with cytoplasm extending beyond the RBC membrane. Which organism is most likely responsible?
- A)Plasmodium falciparumGABARITO
- B)Entamoeba histolytica
- C)Trypanosoma brucei
- D)Schistosoma mansoni
- E)Plasmodium vivax
Explicação
Plasmodium falciparum forms crescent-shaped (banana-shaped) gametocytes on blood smear, which is pathognomonic. P. falciparum causes the most severe malaria with complications including cerebral malaria, severe anemia, acute kidney injury, and hepatic dysfunct... Ver explicação completa e trilha adaptativa →