Tracking Plasmodium knowlesi through faecal DNA for monitoring zoonotic transmission in wild macaques across Southeast and South Asia.
cross_sectional · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41766625.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1093/infdis/jiag128.
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Abstract
We conducted the non-invasive surveillance of Plasmodium knowlesi in wild macaques using 4,752 faecal samples collected across nine 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 faeces shed by macaques and present under natural conditions can be detected. These findings validate faecal 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.