A rare and sometimes lethal form of malaria usually found only in monkeys is becoming so common in Malaysia that it accounts for most malaria hospitalizations there, scientists have found.In the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo, a parasite called Plasmodium knowlesi causes severe malaria three times as often as Plasmodium falciparum, which has long been considered the deadliest form of the … [Read more...]
Is malaria a blood borne pathogen?
Question: Is malaria a bloodborne pathogen? Answer: Yes. Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium (there are five species which infect humans, being Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi), introduced into the human blood stream through the bite of an infected anopheles mosquito. To learn more about how the malaria parasite … [Read more...]
P. knowlesi versus P. falciparum: Treatment and Prevention
QUESTION I would like to know about the P. knowlesi - treatment compared to P. falciparum? preventive medicine? ANSWER At this point in time, P. knowlesi is completely susceptible to chloroquine, and so can be treated successfully using this drug. P. falciparum, on the other hand, is known to have widespread resistance to chloroquine, and so the World Health Organization recommends that … [Read more...]
Antimalarial Drugs During pPregnancy
QUESTION What is the safest antimalarial drug to be used by a pregnant woman in her second trimester? ANSWER With regards to treating malaria, intravenous artesunate (or quinine, if artesunate is not available) should be used for the treatment of severe/complicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Signs of severe and/or complicated malaria include impaired consciousness, organ failure, … [Read more...]
About Malaria Proteins
QUESTION Please tell about about malarial causitive proteins. ANSWER I'm not sure what your question is, as malaria is not caused by a protein, but rather by a single-celled parasite called Plasmodium, which contains many different types of proteins. Some of these are indeed used for entering host cells and thus causing disease. Many of these proteins, and particularly ones on the surface … [Read more...]
Malaria Prophylaxis for Indonesia
QUESTION I have been working a 4-week rotation between the USA and East Kalimantan (Borneo) for about 2 years. While on Borneo, I am in the jungle much of the time. I have never contracted malaria. I am embarrassed to say I thought I had been inoculated for malaria when I first started working here. I just spent 10 days in a hospital last month fighting a blood degenerating viral infection not … [Read more...]
New Malaria Parasites
QUESTION I heard researchers have found a new malaria parasite—what is the name? ANSWER New malaria parasites are found quite regularly—the parasite that causes malaria, Plasmodium, actually infects birds, reptiles, rodents and non-human primates like monkeys and apes as well as humans. As such, non-human forms of malaria are discovered relatively frequently in other species. … [Read more...]
Death from Malaria: Humans and Other Primates
QUESTION If not treated in some form, do most who acquire malaria die? What about primates, such as orangutans that live in the wild and would not be treated as such. Do they die or do they become chronically ill within period of remission? ANSWER That's a really good question, and the answer is: it depends! In humans, the most deadly form of malaria is Plasmodium falciparum—when … [Read more...]
Malaria Parasite
QUESTION Which parasite transmits malaria? ANSWER Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito. The parasite passes into the blood of the human patient when the mosquito bites, via its saliva. There are five species of Plasmodium which normally infect humans: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, P. vivax and P. knowlesi. … [Read more...]
Malaria with Liver and Kidney Problems
QUESTION Can someone please tell me what kind of malaria this is. What part of the body it attacks, e.g., cerebral? Patient presenting with liver and kidney "problems". What could these be? ANSWER I am not sure I fully understand your question, but the type of malaria which is associated with cerebral malaria, and also tends to have the most adverse effects on other organs (such as the … [Read more...]