By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
European health officials reported last week on a travel-associated case of a monkey malaria, Plasmodium cynomolgi, in a individual from Denmark. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the patient contracted the parasite during a visit to forested areas in peninsular Malaysia and Thailand during August-September 2018.
ECDC report: The traveller was admitted to hospital with the suspicion of malaria. Routine initial tests for malaria (rapid diagnostic test and microscopy) and more in-depth tests (malaria-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification test and Sanger sequencing) were required to diagnose malaria caused by P. cynomolgi. After receiving treatment, symptoms resolved on the second day and the patient recovered fully.
It is a parasite causing disease among macaque monkeys across Southeast Asia. P. cynomolgi is the second species of malaria parasite known to infect both monkeys and humans in the wild, following the discovery of Plasmodium knowlesi human infection in 2004.
European officials advise travelers to the region to apply preventive measures against malaria such as taking chemoprophylaxis and using mosquito nets and insect repellents, wearing long sleeved shirts and trousers, and sleeping in air-conditioned rooms.
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