Plasmodium knowlesi
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2008-06-23T18:32:24Z
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{{Taxobox
| color = khaki
| name = ''Plasmodium knowlesi''
| regnum = [[Protista]]
| phylum = [[Apicomplexa]]
| classis = [[Aconoidasida]]
| ordo = [[Haemosporida]]
| familia = [[Plasmodiidae]]
| genus = ''[[Plasmodium]]''
| species = '''''P. knowlesi'''''
| binomial = ''Plasmodium knowlesi''
| binomial_authority =
}}
'''''Plasmodium knowlesi''''' is a [[primate]] [[malaria]] parasite commonly found in [[Southeast Asia]]. It causes malaria in long-tailed macaques (''[[Macaca fascicularis]]''), but it may also infect humans, either naturally or artificially.
==Epidemiology==
Reports of human ''P. knowlesi'' infections are confined to Southeast Asia,<ref>{{cite journal | author=Chin W, Contacos PG, Coatney RG, Kimbal HR. | journal=Science | year=1965 | title=A naturally acquired quotidian-type malaria in man transferable to monkeys | volume=149 | pages=865 | pmid=14332847 | doi=10.1126/science.149.3686.865 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | journal=Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg | year=1971 | volume=65 | issue=6 | pages=839–40 | title=A presumptive case of naturally occurring ''Plasmodium knowlesi'' malaria in man in Malaysia | author=Yap FL, Cadigan FC, Coatney GR. | pmid=5003320 | doi=10.1016/0035-9203(71)90103-9 }}</ref> particularly Malaysia,<ref name="Singh2004">{{cite journal | journal=Lancet | year=2004 | volume=363 | pages=1017–24 | title=A large focus of naturally acquired ''Plasmodium knowlesi'' infections in human beings | author=Singh B, Lee KS, Matusop A, Radhakrishnan A, Shamsul SSG, Cox-Singh J, Thomas A, Conway DJ | doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15836-4 }}</ref> but there are also reports on the Thai-Burmese border.<ref>{{cite journal | journal=Emerg Infect Dis | year=2004 | volume=10 | issue=12 | pages=2211–3 | title=Naturally acquired ''Plasmodium knowlesi'' malaria in human, Thailand | author=Jongwutiwes S, Putaporntip C, Iwasaki T, Sata T, Kanbara H. | pmid=15663864 }}</ref> A fifth of the cases of malaria diagnosed in [[Sarawak]], [[Malaysian Borneo]] are due to ''P. knowlesi''.<ref name="Singh2004"/>
''P. knowlesi'' infection is normally considered an infection of long-tailed (''[[Macaca fascicularis]]'') and pig-tailed (''[[Macaca nemestrina]]'') macaques, but humans who work at the forest fringe or enter the rainforest to work are at risk of being infected with ''P. knowlesi''. The mosquito ''[[Anopheles latens]]'' is attracted to both macaques and humans and has been shown to be the main vector transmitting ''P. knowlesi'' to humans in the Kapit Division of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo''<ref name="Vythilingam2006">{{cite journal | author=Vythilingam I, Tan CH, Asmad M, Chan ST, Lee KS, Singh B. | title=Natural transmission of ''Plasmodium knowlesi'' to humans by ''Anopheles latens'' in Sarawak, Malaysia | journal=Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg | year=2006 | volume=100 | pages=1087–88 | doi=10.1016/j.trstmh.2006.02.006 }}</ref>. ''Within the monkey population in Peninsular Malaysia,'' ''[[Anopheles hackeri|''A. hackeri'']]'', ''is believed to be the main vector of'' ''''P. knowlesi'''' : ''although'' ''''A. hackeri'''' ''is capable of transmitting malaria to humans'',<ref>{{cite journal | author=Wharton RH, Eyles DE. | title=''Anopheles hackeri,'' a vector of '''''Plasmodium knowlesi''''' in Malaya | year=1961 | journal=Science | volume=134 | pages=279–80 | doi=10.1126/science.134.3474.279 | pmid=13784726 }}</ref> ''it is not normally attracted to humans and therefore cannot be an important vector for transmission.''<ref>{{cite journal | author=Reid JA, Weitz B. | year=1961 | title=Anopheline mosquitoes as vectors of animal malaria in Malaya | journal=Ann Trop Med Parasitol | volume=55 | pages=180–6 }}</ref>
==Diagnosis==
''P. knowlesi'' infections is diagnosed by examining thick and thin blood films in the same way as other [[malaria]]s. The appearance of ''P. knowlesi'' is similar to that of ''[[Plasmodium malariae|P. malariae]]'' and is unlikely to be correctly diagnosed except by using molecular detection assays <ref name="Singh2004">{{cite journal | journal=Lancet | year=2004 | volume=363 | pages=1017–24 | title=A large focus of naturally acquired ''Plasmodium knowlesi'' infections in human beings | author=Singh B, Lee KS, Matusop A | doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15836-4 }}</ref>in a malaria reference laboratory. There are no ill effects of misdiagnosing ''P. knowlesi'' as ''P. malariae,'' because the treatment is the same.
[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/524888 This article] says that knowlesi infections should be treated with more intensive medication.
==Treatment==
''P. knowlesi'' infection responds well to treatment with [[chloroquine]] and [[primaquine]].<ref name="Singh2004"/>
==<i>Plasmodium knowlesi</i> genome data==
* [http://www.genedb.org/genedb/pknowlesi/ GeneDB Plasmodium knowlesi]
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Malaria]]
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[[Category:apicomplexa]]
[[Category:Malaria]]