ENDEMIC, mosquitoborne transmission of malaria was interrupted in the United States during the 1940s. Since then, 57 small localized outbreaks of probable mosquito-transmitted malaria in the United States have been reported to CDC.1,2 This report summarizes the investigation of a case of Plasmodium vivax infection in a resident of Georgia who had never lived in or visited a malarious area. The results of this investigation suggest that this case probably was acquired through the bite of a locally infected Anopheles sp. mosquito, although a probable source of infection for mosquitoes was not confirmed.
Case Investigation
On June 22, 1996, a 53-year-old man residing in Tift County, Georgia, was admitted to a hospital because of a 12-day history of fever, chills, fatigue, and myalgias. Physical examination on admission revealed a temperature of 105.6 F (40.9 C) and mild tachypnea. Initial laboratory examinations demonstrated only moderate anemia (hemoglobin: