P lasmodium spp. were identified in the late 1800s, and >30 species have been described in primates, including humans, apes, and monkeys (1,2). Of these, humans are natural hosts to 4 species: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. vivax, and P. ovale. Human infections with simian malaria parasites were thought to be extremely rare until P. knowlesi was identified as a major cause of malaria in humans in Kapit, Malaysian Borneo (3). Subsequent human cases of infection with P. knowlesi have been reported across Southeast Asia (4-9). Most cases are reported in the Malaysian Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah (4,10,11). The zoonotic capability of this parasite was confirmed with the aid of molecular techniques because P. knowlesi is morphologically
T he monkey parasite Plasmodium knowlesi was discovered to be a common cause of malaria in humans in 2004, initially from investigations in the Kapit division of Sarawak state, Malaysian Borneo (1). Humans acquire infection primarily from wild long-tailed (Macaca fascicularis) and pig-tailed (M. nemestrina) macaque reservoirs (2); Anopheles mosquitoes of the leucosphyrus group are vectors (3,4). P. knowlesi malaria has been described across Southeast Asia, but most clinical cases are still reported in Malaysian Borneo (3,5-8). In 2017 and 2018, a total of 7,745 cases were reported in Malaysia, 86.8% of which were detected in Malaysian Borneo (B. Singh, unpub. data) (9). P. knowlesi infections can be asymptomatic (10,11), and clinical cases exhibit a wide spectrum of disease ranging from mild symptoms to death (3). Population genetic surveys of P. knowlesi infections in humans across Malaysia have revealed 2 divergent subpopulations of the parasite in Malaysian Borneo that are associated with the 2 macaque species locally, suggesting 2 independent zoonoses (12,13). The cluster 1 type has been associated with longtailed macaques and the cluster 2 type with pig-tailed macaques (12). The existence of 2 sympatric subpopulations also has been confirmed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of P. knowlesi from patients in Malaysian Borneo (13,14). In peninsular Malaysia on the Asia mainland, all cases have been caused by another subpopulation, cluster 3, that has not been detected in Malaysian Borneo (13,15). Limited WGS (14,15) and microsatellite (13) genotyping of P. knowlesi isolates derived from human and only long-tailed macaque hosts from peninsular Malaysia showed allopatric divergence for this subpopulation cluster from those of Malaysian Borneo because of geographic separation by the South China Sea. Increasing numbers of P. knowlesi malaria cases detected might be due to increased zoonotic exposure along with a reduction of endemic malaria parasite species (16). With the recent identification of different zoonotic P. knowlesi genetic subpopulations, determining whether these populations vary in frequency over space and time is important. Interactions with
Background Although pneumonia is a known cause of morbidity and mortality in Sarawak, Malaysia, the etiology and epidemiology of pneumonia are not well described in this equatorial region. Routine clinical diagnostics for pneumonia etiology at government hospitals in Sarawak had historically involved only bacterial diagnostics. Viral diagnostics were only obtained through outside consultations. Methods From June 15, 2017 to May 14, 2018, we collected nasopharyngeal swabs from 600 patients of all ages older than 1 month hospitalized with pneumonia at Sibu and Kapit Hospitals. Specimens were examined at our collaborating institutions with a panel of molecular assays for viral pathogens including influenza A (IAV), IBV, ICV, and IDV, human adenovirus (AdV), human enterovirus (EV), human coronavirus (CoV), respiratory syncytial virus subtype A (RSV-A) or RSV-B, and parainfluenza virus (PIV) types 1–4. Results Of 599 samples examined, 288 (48%) had molecular evidence of 1 or more respiratory viruses. Overall, the most prevalent virus detected was RSV-A (14.2%) followed by AdV (10.4%) and IAV (10.4%), then RSV-B (6.2%), EV (4.2%), IBV (2.2%), PIV-3 (1.7%), CoV (1.0%), PIV-1 (1.0%), PIV-4 (0.7%), and PIV-2 (0.2%). No specimens were confirmed positive for ICV or IDV. Conclusions The high prevalence of viruses detected in this study suggest that respiratory viruses may be responsible for considerable morbidity in equatorial regions such as Sarawak. Access to viral diagnostics are very necessary for medical staff to determine appropriate pneumonia treatments.
Plasmodium knowlesi, a simian malaria parasite responsible for all recent indigenous cases of malaria in Malaysia, infects humans throughout Southeast Asia. There are two genetically distinct subpopulations of Plasmodium knowlesi in Malaysian Borneo, one associated with long-tailed macaques (termed cluster 1) and the other with pig-tailed macaques (cluster 2). A prospective study was conducted to determine whether there were any between-subpopulation differences in clinical and laboratory features, as well as in epidemiological characteristics. Over 2 years, 420 adults admitted to Kapit Hospital, Malaysian Borneo with knowlesi malaria were studied. Infections with each subpopulation resulted in mostly uncomplicated malaria. Severe disease was observed in 35/298 (11.7%) of single cluster 1 and 8/115 (7.0%) of single cluster 2 infections (p = 0.208). There was no clinically significant difference in outcome between the two subpopulations. Cluster 1 infections were more likely to be associated with peri-domestic activities while cluster 2 were associated with interior forest activities consistent with the preferred habitats of the respective macaque hosts. Infections with both P. knowlesi subpopulations cause a wide spectrum of disease including potentially life-threatening complications, with no implications for differential patient management.
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