The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular Malaysia
Abstract The parasite Plasmodium knowlesi has been the sole cause of malaria in Malaysia from 2018 to 2022. The persistence of this zoonotic species has hampered Malaysia’s progress towards achieving the malaria-free status awarded by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Due to the zoonotic nature o...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54981-2 |
| _version_ | 1827316072704901120 |
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| author | Shahhaziq Shahari Mohd Lutfi Bin Abdullah Anis Adlina Binti Isman Rohimly Norsharina Binti Ashrat Amirah Amir Wahib Mohammed Mohsen Atroosh Mun Yik Fong Yee Ling Lau |
| author_facet | Shahhaziq Shahari Mohd Lutfi Bin Abdullah Anis Adlina Binti Isman Rohimly Norsharina Binti Ashrat Amirah Amir Wahib Mohammed Mohsen Atroosh Mun Yik Fong Yee Ling Lau |
| author_sort | Shahhaziq Shahari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The parasite Plasmodium knowlesi has been the sole cause of malaria in Malaysia from 2018 to 2022. The persistence of this zoonotic species has hampered Malaysia’s progress towards achieving the malaria-free status awarded by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Due to the zoonotic nature of P. knowlesi infections, it is important to study the prevalence of the parasite in the macaque host, the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis). Apart from P. knowlesi, the long-tailed macaque is also able to harbour Plasmodium cynomolgi, Plasmodium inui, Plasmodium caotneyi and Plasmodium fieldi. Here we report the prevalence of the 5 simian malaria parasites in the wild long-tailed macaque population in 12 out of the 13 states in Peninsular Malaysia using a nested PCR approach targeting the 18s ribosomal RNA (18s rRNA) gene. It was found that all five Plasmodium species were widely distributed throughout Peninsular Malaysia except for states with major cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Of note, Pahang reported a malaria prevalence of 100% in the long-tailed macaque population, identifying it as a potential hotspot for zoonotic transmission. Overall, this study shows the distribution of the 5 simian malaria parasite species throughout Peninsular Malaysia, the data of which could be used to guide future malaria control interventions to target zoonotic malaria. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:07:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b86e2b5c54fb40ce83b00f2d326b7e30 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:07:19Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-b86e2b5c54fb40ce83b00f2d326b7e302024-03-17T12:24:36ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-03-011411710.1038/s41598-024-54981-2The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular MalaysiaShahhaziq Shahari0Mohd Lutfi Bin Abdullah1Anis Adlina Binti Isman Rohimly2Norsharina Binti Ashrat3Amirah Amir4Wahib Mohammed Mohsen Atroosh5Mun Yik Fong6Yee Ling Lau7Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti MalayaNational Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular MalaysiaNational Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular MalaysiaNational Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular MalaysiaDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti MalayaDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti MalayaDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti MalayaDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti MalayaAbstract The parasite Plasmodium knowlesi has been the sole cause of malaria in Malaysia from 2018 to 2022. The persistence of this zoonotic species has hampered Malaysia’s progress towards achieving the malaria-free status awarded by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Due to the zoonotic nature of P. knowlesi infections, it is important to study the prevalence of the parasite in the macaque host, the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis). Apart from P. knowlesi, the long-tailed macaque is also able to harbour Plasmodium cynomolgi, Plasmodium inui, Plasmodium caotneyi and Plasmodium fieldi. Here we report the prevalence of the 5 simian malaria parasites in the wild long-tailed macaque population in 12 out of the 13 states in Peninsular Malaysia using a nested PCR approach targeting the 18s ribosomal RNA (18s rRNA) gene. It was found that all five Plasmodium species were widely distributed throughout Peninsular Malaysia except for states with major cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Of note, Pahang reported a malaria prevalence of 100% in the long-tailed macaque population, identifying it as a potential hotspot for zoonotic transmission. Overall, this study shows the distribution of the 5 simian malaria parasite species throughout Peninsular Malaysia, the data of which could be used to guide future malaria control interventions to target zoonotic malaria.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54981-2 |
| spellingShingle | Shahhaziq Shahari Mohd Lutfi Bin Abdullah Anis Adlina Binti Isman Rohimly Norsharina Binti Ashrat Amirah Amir Wahib Mohammed Mohsen Atroosh Mun Yik Fong Yee Ling Lau The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular Malaysia Scientific Reports |
| title | The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_full | The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_short | The prevalence of simian malaria in wild long-tailed macaques throughout Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_sort | prevalence of simian malaria in wild long tailed macaques throughout peninsular malaysia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54981-2 |
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