Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis following Plasmodium vivax malaria.

A 24-year-old Japanese man showed neurological disturbances 2 weeks after complete recovery from Plasmodium vivax infection. Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain showed multiple high-intensity spotty lesions in the left cerebral cortex and subcortex. Cerebrospinal fluid examination, including polymerase chain reaction analysis for viruses, revealed no sign of active infection. Repeated blood smears were negative for malaria. We diagnosed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) following Plasmodium vivax malaria from the clinical course and MR images. ADEM should be regarded as one of the neurological complications after malarial infection.