If Malaria can recur in a survivor (i.e. remain latent as opposed to a second infection), how does this occur?
Reinfection is aways a possibility in endemic areas. P.vivax and P.ovale can remain quiescent in the liver for many months. Relapses caused by the persistent liver forms may appear months, and occasionally up to 4 years after exposure. Untreated or partially treated blood infection with P.malariae may be present for many years before giving rise to a symptomatic episode, and can be carried for a lifetime. In areas with emerging drug-resistant P.falciparum, recrudescences of the infection may occur up to a month or more after what initially seemed to be a successful clinical cure of the infection.
