Objective To investigate the clinical features and the mechanism of falciparum malaria in several patients between Chinese and Malian.Methods The data of Chinese (n =28) and Malian patients (n =35) including general condition,Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS),APACHE Ⅱ,the time of applying ventilator and days of stay in ICU,laboratory examination (plasmodium test,routine blood test,liver and kidney function and C-reactive protein (CRP) assayed before treatment and 1d,3d,7d after treatment,cranial computed tomography and mortality were recorded for investigating the clinical features of the disease.Results There was difference in age range between Chinese patients (ranged from 32 to 50 years old) and Malian patients (ranged from 8 to 72 years old),and difference in severity of the disease between patients of two countries was found and Malian patients were more severely infected than Chinese patients.The results of plasmodium test,routine blood test,liver and kidney function and level of CRP often varied greatly during the entire course of the disease,and the changes were greater in Malian patients.The correlation between APACHE Ⅱ and CRP was found (P ＜ 0.05).The cranial CT displayed ischemia focus in brain.The mortality of Chinese patients was 16.7％ and that of Malian was 25.0％.Conclusions There was difference in composition of residents between Chinese patients and Malian patients.Malian patients were more severely infected with Plasmodium falciparum than Chinese patients,and this difference might be due to the potential correlation between the disease virulence and immune response of patients.