Title:Knowlesi Malaria in Children
Volume: 19
Issue: 3
Author(s): Kriti Mohan*, Manish Kumar and Balram Ji Omar
Affiliation:
- Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Keywords:
Plasmodium knowlesi, malaria, children, simian, zoonotic, fifth malaria parasite.
Abstract: The fifth malaria parasite causing malaria- Plasmodium knowlesi (Pk), is not a novel
emergent species but was an undiagnosed species before the availability of molecular methods as a
tool from diagnostics and sometimes confused with morphologically similar human malaria parasite
P. malariae or P. falciparum. Now it is well-distributed species in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia.
Since 2004, cases of Pk malaria are continuously being reported in adults. Though adult age,
forest-related activities and a recent visit to forested areas are well-known factors, childhood did not
remain untouched by this disease. Few pieces of research and reports in the literature indicate that
Infection in children is uncomplicated, but this may be attributed to the scarcity of data and research
in this field. Pk malaria in pregnant females and infants are being well reported, so this indicates
that the problem is not only restricted to known factors related to the disease, but we should think
out of the box and take action before the disease takes the form of significant health burden on the
human population as P. vivax and P. falciparum species did in the past. With the reports in literature
of Pk malaria in pregnancy and early infancy, the possibility of congenital and neonatal malaria also
cannot be denied. So more and more research is needed to understand Pk malaria in the pediatric
population clearly. So this running review covers the problem status, demographic profile, clinical
and haematological features, diagnosis, management and outcome of Pk malaria in paediatric group
worldwide. This review also discusses the gaps in our present knowledge of the real problem status,
prevention, control, diagnosis and management of Pk malaria, particularly in this age group.
