The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. · Jun 2007
Case ReportsPositive blood culture with Plasmodium falciparum: case report.
An adult traveler presented with fever and malaise after returning from Sierra Leone. Young trophozoites of Plasmodium falciparum were seen in a blood smear, with parasitemia being 10%. ⋯ A Giemsa-stained smear from the positive bottle contents yielded numerous pigmented, mature trophozoites of P. falciparum. This case indicates that, in patients with malaria, the growth of P. falciparum in blood cultures can result in "false"-positive blood cultures.