Emerging malaria in Indonesia: An overview of Plasmodium knowlesi infections

IF 2 Q3 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Parasite Epidemiology and Control Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.parepi.2024.e00405

Nisa Fauziah , Karomahul Malaya Jati , Fedri Ruluwedrata Rinawan , Naufal Fakhri Nugraha , Bachti Alisjahbana , Jontari Hutagalung

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Plasmodium knowlesi, the fifth malaria-causing parasite species, is currently changing the landscape of the most dominant malaria-causing species in the Southeast Asia by becoming the emerging significant cause of malaria in the region, including in Indonesia. This study aimed to provide an overview of malaria caused by P. knowlesi in Indonesia.

Methods

This study utilized secondary data from the Indonesian National Referral Malaria Laboratory from 2011 to 2020 for the analysis.

Results

Analysis on 212 samples collected over ten years identified 66 (31.1 %) cases of P. knowlesi infection, with one (0.5 %) mixed infection of P. knowlesi and P. vivax. These cases were reported in seven provinces in Kalimantan and Sumatra islands. Males were 2.23 times more likely to be at risk for malaria compared to females, and this result was statistically significant (p-value = 0.037, 95 % CI: 0.84–5.91). There was no significant association between the risk of malaria and the age groups classified as non-productive and productive (p-value = 0.535, OR = 0.42, 95 % CI: 0.12–1.53). Individuals working outdoors were not significantly more protected compared to those working indoors (p-value of 0.116, OR = 0.15, 95 % CI: 0.02–1.49). The origin of the sample was found to be the most significant factor (p-value <0.001), with individuals from Kalimantan having the highest risk for malaria caused by P. knowlesi (OR = 3.97, 95 % CI: 2.10–7.49).

Conclusions

Two major Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, which reported malaria cases during the period studied, exhibit a potential risk for P. knowlesi infections that is influenced by factors beyond natural hosts and vectors, such as sex, age, and occupation. Routine PCR examinations for suspected P. knowlesi infections are crucial for developing effective strategies to identify and control this simian malaria parasite.

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来源期刊

Parasite Epidemiology and Control Medicine-Infectious Diseases

CiteScore

5.70

自引率

3.10%

发文量

审稿时长

17 weeks

期刊介绍： Parasite Epidemiology and Control is an Open Access journal. There is an increasing amount of research in the parasitology area that analyses the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. This epidemiology of parasite infectious diseases is predominantly studied in human populations but also spans other major hosts of parasitic infections and as such this journal will have a broad remit. We will focus on the major areas of epidemiological study including disease etiology, disease surveillance, drug resistance and geographical spread and screening, biomonitoring, and comparisons of treatment effects in clinical trials for both human and other animals. We will also look at the epidemiology and control of vector insects. The journal will also cover the use of geographic information systems (Epi-GIS) for epidemiological surveillance which is a rapidly growing area of research in infectious diseases. Molecular epidemiological approaches are also particularly encouraged.