Intraleucocyte malaria pigment in asymptomatic and uncomplicated malaria.

While malaria pigment or haemozoin is known to be an end product of haemoglobin digestion by the malaria parasite, its clinical significance is just beginning to be elucidated. We have studied the distribution of intraleucocyte malaria pigment in 92 children, consisting of 32 children with asymptomatic malaria, 32 children with mild or uncomplicated malaria and 28 children with no malaria. Over 90% of children in each of the three groups had pigment-containing monocytes and the numbers of pigment-containing monocytes were not significantly different between the three groups.