Plasmodium knowlesi malaria infection in human

Thomas NINAN ¹, Khalid NALEES ¹, Maung NEWIN ¹, Qaiser SULTAN ¹, Moe Moe THAN ¹, Suresh SHINDE ¹, Ann Velerie Fernandez HABANA ¹ and Noorainun MOHD YUSOF ²,

¹ Department of Critical Care Medicine and ² Department of Medicine, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

ABSTRACT

Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi) is a species of Plasmodium that rarely infect humans compared to P. vivax, falciparum, ovale and malariae, and has been considered as the fifth malaria species. There is a large reservoir of P. knowlesi in the whole of Eastern Malaysia and in most states of Western Malaysia, particularly in Macaque monkeys. We report the rare case of a 58-year-old man who presented with septic shock secondary to P. knowlesi who was successfully treated.

Keywords:  Malaria, septiceamia, acute kidney injury

Correspondence author: Ninan THOMAS, Department of Critical Care Mediciine, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan BA 1710, Brunei Darussalam. E mail: ninanthomas@brunet.bn

Brunei Int Med J. 2012; 8 (6): 358-361