Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria in Humans Is Widely Distributed and Potentially Life Threatening

Cox-Singh, Janet; Davis, Timothy M. E.; Lee, Kim-Sung; Shamsul, Sunita S. G.; Matusop, Asmad; Ratnam, Shanmuga; Rahman, Hasan Abdul; Conway, David J.; Singh, Balbir

doi:10.1086/524888

Cited by 727 publications

(686 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…falciparum is the malarial species that is the most important cause of mortality in humans but, in addition, nearly 3 billion people, mainly in Asia and South America, are at risk from another malaria species, P. vivax, which causes chronic disease and deadly complications (Guerra et al, 2010). Three more species, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi (Cox-Singh et al, 2008) can also cause malaria in humans. Infections with malaria may reach very high levels, for example, Mueller et al (2009) found that 73% of a Papua New Guinea population were infected.…”

Section: General Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genetics of malaria resistance in humans

2011

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Section: General Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genetics of malaria resistance in humans

2011

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“…In such circumstances, non-invasive sampling and the application of molecular tools can provide data which, in the past, were only available following opportunistic necropsy. For example, from an anthropocentric viewpoint, an understanding of the species of Plasmodium affecting primates in the wild led to the identification of a new zoonosis, with P. knowlesi found in humans using molecular tools [132,133]. In contrast, the application of molecular tools has identified a novel, genetically distinct form of Leishmania in macropod marsupials in Australia, as well as a new non-sandfly vector [134][135][136].…”

Section: Wildlife and Zoonosesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The molecular epidemiology of parasite infections: Tools and applications

Lymbery

Thompson

2012

Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology

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Molecular epidemiology, broadly defined, is the application of molecular genetic techniques to the dynamics of disease in a population. In this review, we briefly describe molecular and analytical tools available for molecular epidemiological studies and then provide an overview of how they can be applied to better understand parasitic disease. A range of new molecular tools have been developed in recent years, allowing for the direct examination of parasites from clinical or environmental samples, and providing access to relatively cheap, rapid, high throughput molecular assays. At the same time, new analytical approaches, in particular those derived from coalescent theory, have been developed to provide more robust estimates of evolutionary processes and demographic parameters from multilocus, genotypic data. To date, the primary application of molecular epidemiology has been to provide specific and sensitive identification of parasites and to resolve taxonomic issues, particularly at the species level and below. Population genetic studies have also been used to determine the extent of genetic diversity among populations of parasites and the degree to which this diversity is associated with different host cycles or epidemiologically important phenotypes. Many of these studies have also shed new light on transmission cycles of parasites, particularly the extent to which zoonotic transmission occurs, and on the prevalence and importance of mixed infections with different parasite species or intraspecific variants (polyparasitism). A major challenge, and one which is now being addressed by an increasing number of studies, is to find and utilise genetic markers for complex traits of epidemiological significance, such as drug resistance, zoonotic potential and virulence.

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“…P. malariae cases are generally asymptomatic and chronic with low parasitic levels with mostly less than 5000 parasites per ll of blood. Cox-Singh et al (2008) reported 4 deaths (1.8%) in Sarawak and William et al (2011) reported deaths and several patients (39%) with severe malaria having respiratory distress, acute renal failure, and shock from a tertiary hospital in Sabah, Malaysia. But none of the patients went into coma.…”

Section: Clinical Symptoms Of P Knowlesi Infections and Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Centenary celebrations article

Subbarao

2011

J Parasit Dis

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The identification of a large focus of Plasmodium knowlesi in Malaysian Borneo and subsequent reports from several countries in South-east Asia has led its recognition as the fifth human malaria parasite. The natural preferred hosts of this species still continue to be macaque monkeys that live in broad-leaf rain forests. This review describes the distribution of macaque monkeys, the Anopheles species belonging to the Leucosphyrus Group that have been incriminated as vectors, morphological and clinical features of this parasite, and the transmission cycles that have been identified for this parasite. As the North-eastern states of India share their borders with P. knowlesi malaria endemic countries and because travelers from countries in South-east Asia visit India and vice versa, risks of this parasite entering India and its spread are also discussed.

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Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria in Humans Is Widely Distributed and Potentially Life Threatening

Cited by 727 publications

References 16 publications

Population genetics of malaria resistance in humans

Population genetics of malaria resistance in humans

The molecular epidemiology of parasite infections: Tools and applications

Centenary celebrations article

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