Arsenal loses star player Toure as defender is struck down by malaria after African trip

Arsenal will be without one of their key players for the start of the new season after defender Kolo Toure was struck down by malaria.

Doctors are still trying to work out how the £7million defender contracted the potentially fatal disease.

But it is thought the player, who is the longest serving member of Arsenal's current squad and the club's vice captain, may have caught it while on holiday in his native Ivory Coast.

Visitors to the west African country are warned that they face a high risk of infection from a strain of malaria that is more resistant than other types.

It is also present there all year round, unlike in some other countries where the risk can be seasonal.

The 27-year-old centre back left the African country to join Arsenal's pre-season tour of Austria and Hungary.

He was taken to hospital in Vienna after suffering dizzy spells and complaining of severe tiredness and was back in the Arsenal camp last night, being monitored by doctors from the club's medical support team.

Toure is expected to make a full recovery, but may not be fit enough to start the new Premiership season, which is weeks away.

A club source who was with the squad on the tour said: 'It was obvious to everyone that Kolo was not feeling himself when he met up with the squad.

'He was rushed to hospital and tests showed he had contracted the disease. The medical staff are very concerned about him and are trying to work out how long he will be out for.

'This would be disastrous for the team because he is one of the leaders of the side and a very important player.'

Toure did not feature in the team that kicked off the tour with a game against Hungarian side Szombathelyi Haladas in Austria.

He is said to be in good spirits and not too concerned about his illness.

The disease, a parasite carried and spread by mosquitos, is widespread in Africa and present in more than 100 countries across the world.

Each year there are about 515 million reported cases and between one and three million people die from malaria.

British travellers at risk are advised to take preventative drugs before, during and after their trips because there is no vaccine.

For most people, the symptoms develop between 10 days and four weeks after infection, although it can take up to a year for malaria to manifest itself.

Toure is not the only Premiership star to contract the disease.

Last week it was revealed that former Chelsea defender Celestine Babayaro was recovering in a London hospital after contracting malaria during a trip to his home in Nigeria.

Toure's childhood friend and Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora, also from the Ivory Coast, spent four days in hospital after a bout of the illness in 2006.