Non-Human Primate Malaria Infections: A Review on the Epidemiology in Malaysia

Nor Diyana Dian; Mohd Amirul Fitri A Rahim; Sherwin Chan; Zulkarnain Md Idris

doi:10.3390/ijerph19137888

Non-Human Primate Malaria Infections: A Review on the Epidemiology in Malaysia

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 27;19(13):7888. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19137888.

Authors

Nor Diyana Dian¹, Mohd Amirul Fitri A Rahim¹, Sherwin Chan², Zulkarnain Md Idris¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia.
² Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

Malaria remains a public health problem in many parts of the world, including Malaysia. Although Malaysia has been recognized as one of the countries free from indigenous human malaria since 2018, the rising trend of zoonotic malaria, particularly Plasmodium knowlesi cases, poses a threat to public health and is of great concern to the country's healthcare system. We reviewed previously scattered information on zoonotic malaria infections in both Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo to determine the epidemiology and distribution of emerging zoonotic malaria infections. Given the high prevalence of zoonotic malaria in Malaysia, efforts should be made to detect zoonotic malaria in humans, mosquito vectors, and natural hosts to ensure the success of the National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan.

Keywords: Malaysia; Plasmodium; epidemiology; malaria; zoonotic.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Malaria* / diagnosis
Malaria* / epidemiology
Malaysia / epidemiology
Plasmodium knowlesi*
Primates
Zoonoses / epidemiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the SEAOHUN Small Grant Program with the generous support of the American people through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) One Health Workforce-Next Generation (OHW-NG) Award 7200AA19CA00018 (Grant number: FF-2021-457), the ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Fund (Grant number: FF-2019-124), and the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Grant numbers: FF-2019-124/1 and FF-2021-350). The contents and associated materials are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of USAID or the US Government. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.