Acute respiratory distress syndrome due to falciparum malaria in a pregnant woman

We report the case of a pregnant woman (29 th week), living in a Paris suburb, about 20 miles from an international airport, She presented with septic shock and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A few parasitized erythrocytes were discovered in a hemorrhagic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), specimen and many were found on examination of the placenta after a caesarean section had been performed, The patient's condition dramatically improved once given quinine therapy, This is an uncommon case on account of: (1) the unusual clinical course with no organ failure but ARDS, (2) the unusual way the diagnosis was made, (3) the very unusual way the patient became contaminated (airport malaria), (4) the pregnant condition of the patient.