Effect of Plasmodium falciparum Infection on Leucocyte Count in Chronic Leukaemia Patients

Alan F. Fleming, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (Nigeria) Dr. Garewal and his colleagues reported to you recently that there were significant reductions of total leucocyte counts (TCL) in 4 patients with chronic 2 granulocytic leukaemia (CGL) and 2 with chronic lymphatic leukaemia (CLL) who developed Plasmo-dium vivax malarial infections [1]. It is the practice here and at most centres in tropical Africa, to admin3 ister curative followed by prophylactic antimalarials as a supportive therapy to all patients with leukaemia. As a result, I do not have any original observations to offer, but Macfie [2] in the first published account of leukaemias diagnosed in tropical Africa, reported a 36-year-old woman in Accra who had CLL and in whom the TLC fell from 286.0 to 59.0 × 10Vl during a period of P. falciparum parasitaemia. Macfie [3] later reported an 18-year-old male with CGL whose TCL declined over 2 weeks from 326.25 to 62.9 × lOVl during an infection with P. falciparum. Mar-gination of the leucocytes during malaria is the most probable explanation of this phenomenon. References 1 Garewal, G.; Quadri, M.I.; Das, K.C.: Effect of Plasmodium vivax infection on leucocyte count in chronic leukaemia patients. Acta haemat. 67: 285-286(1982). Macfie, J.W.S.: A note on the occurrence of leukaemia in the natives of West Africa. Report of the Accra Laboratory for the year 1916, pp. 39-42 (Churchill, London). Macfie, J.W.S.: An observation on the effect of malaria in leukaemia. Ann. trop. Med. Parasit. 13: 347-349(1920).