Malaria and encephalopathy in a heart transplant recipient: A case report in the context of multiorgan donation

Introduction Malaria is an endemic infection in tropical circles. It can be transmitted from mosquitoes bite, but exceptional cases have been attributed to multiorgan transplantation. Case report This is a 34‐year‐old woman who received a heart transplant for final‐stage dilated cardiomyopathy. Over the hospitalization, she developed fever, cephalalgia, and tonic‐clonic seizures with MRI findings compatible with posterior reversible encephalopathy. A thick blood smear revealed hemoparasitic forms of Plasmodium vivax. Afterward, malaria was also diagnosed in recipients of one kidney and liver of the same organ donor. First‐line treatment with artesunate was prescribed for 3 days and chloroquine with primaquine thereafter for 14 days. The patient was discharged and returned to the emergency department 5 days later, complaining of gastrointestinal symptoms and developed multiorgan failure that led to death. Conclusion We report a case of malaria transmission through heart transplantation. Despite adequate and supervised treatment, it can be related to a fatal outcome. Malaria screening in organ donors should be considered in regions where endemicity can lead to rare cases of transmission by transplantation.