A patient arrives at the emergency room feeling extremely sick, with cycles of high fevers and chills and a severe headache. However, these symptoms are nonspecific and malaria may not be suspected if the patient is in a region where malaria is uncommon. If the medical professionals did not immediately consider malaria, which of the following test results would most strongly suggest the need for malaria testing (such as microscopic analysis of a blood smear)?
A) the patient has a high platelet count B) the patient develops vomiting as well C) a complete blood count (CBC) shows progressively worsening severe anemia D) an x-ray suggests an enlarged liver and unusually small spleen