Blackwater Fever Treated with Steroids in Nonimmune Patient, Italy

Abstract

Causes of blackwater fever, a complication of malaria treatment, are not completely clear, and immune mechanisms might be involved. Clinical management is not standardized. We describe an episode of blackwater fever in a nonimmune 12-year-old girl in Italy who was treated with steroids, resulting in a rapid clinical resolution.

Keywords

• Blackwater fever
• malaria
• hemoglobinuria
• Plasmodium falciparum
• quinine
• artemisinin derivatives