Emergence of the Fifth Human Malaria Parasite, Plasmodium knowlesi: A New Threat to Public Health?..

Malaria is a mosquito-borne protozoan disease caused by a Plasmodium protozoan parasite (Phylum: Apicomplexan). Humans are infected by four different malaria parasite types. However, a fifth species, Plasmodium knowlesi, has been confirmed to demonstrate possible zoonotic infection in humans in several cases across Southeast Asia and the Indian Nicobar and Andaman Islands. The natural host for this zoonotic malaria parasite is the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), which is the most common macaque species in Southeast Asia. According to recent case studies, knowlesi malaria is linked to comorbidities, which can lead to poor care outcomes. We searched the literature using PubMed and Google Scholar to illustrate the epidemiology, parasite biology, and potential challenges associated with this emerging zoonotic infection in this study. Please see the link - https://www.journalajrid.com/index.php/AJRID/article/view/30176