Human Plasmodium in Livestock: The Absence of PfHRP2 and pLDH Among High Parasitemia Cases

Introduction: Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are reported to have infected domestic cattle as buffalo, horses, dogs, and goats in Sumba, along with Etawa crossbreed goats in Purworejo. One of the markers of human-Plasmodium (h-Plasmodium) invasion in the erythrocyte phase is the appearance of PfHRP2 and parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH). This study aimed to detect h-Plasmodium using PfHRP2-pLDH-based rapid diagnostic test (RDT) in the blood of Etawa crossbreed goats that were tested positive for microscopic infection. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a malaria pre-elimination area in Purworejo District, Indonesia. Livestock blood sampling was performed on a population of goats within a radius of 300 meters from the residence of malaria cases. Results: The presence of h-Plasmodium was detected by Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) Monotes Malaria for PfHRP2-pLDH. The mean parasitemia level of h-Plasmodium on Etawa crossbreed goats was 3061 parasites/μL of blood. No cases were detected positive using RDT Monotes Malaria from four goats that were microscopically positive for h-Plasmodium. Conclusion: The PfHRP and pLDH-based RDT methods for the detection of h-Plasmodium indicated that they are not sensitive to be applied to animal blood. Other immunological detection methods are needed to determine the activity of h-Plasmodium when it invades animal red blood cells.