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Updated: May 30, 2026
A Multi-detection Assay for Malaria Transmitting Mosquitoes
Published on: February 28, 2015
Tracking Plasmodium knowlesi Through Fecal DNA for Monitoring Zoonotic Transmission in Wild Macaques Across Southeast
Dhammika Leshan Wannigama1,2,3,4,5,6, Mohan Amarasiri3,7, Phatthranit Phattharapornjaroen3,8,9
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan.
Abstract:
We conducted the noninvasive surveillance of Plasmodium knowlesi in wild macaques using 4752 fecal samples collected across 9 endemic countries. Parasite DNA was detected in 390 samples (8.2%), with positivity rates ranging from 1.4% to 18.4%. This provides the first field-based evidence that P. knowlesi DNA in feces shed by macaques and present under natural conditions can be detected. These findings validate fecal sampling as a practical and scalable tool for tracking zoonotic-malaria. The results support integration into forest-runoff and rural wastewater surveillance systems, offering new opportunities for early detection of pathogens and environmental monitoring at the human-wildlife interface.
