Plasmodium knowlesi infection imported to Germany, January 2013

H Orth; B O Jensen; M C Holtfreter; S J Kocheril; S Mallach; C MacKenzie; I Müller-Stöver; B Henrich; M Imwong; N J White; D Häussinger; J Richter

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES2013.18.40.20603

Rapid communications Open Access

Like 0

Download

Plasmodium knowlesi infection imported to Germany, January 2013
H Orth¹ , B O Jensen¹ , M C Holtfreter¹ , S J Kocheril¹ , S Mallach¹ , C MacKenzie² , I Müller-Stöver¹ , B Henrich² , M Imwong³ , N J White⁴ , D Häussinger¹ , J Richter¹
View Affiliations Hide Affiliations

Affiliations: ¹ Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany ² Department of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany ³ Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand ⁴ Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit; Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Correspondence:
J Richter
Joachim.Richter med.uni-duesseldorf.de
View Citation Hide Citation

Citation style for this article: Orth H, Jensen B O, Holtfreter M C, Kocheril S J, Mallach S, MacKenzie C, Müller-Stöver I, Henrich B, Imwong M, White N J, Häussinger D, Richter J. Plasmodium knowlesi infection imported to Germany, January 2013. Euro Surveill. 2013;18(40):pii=20603. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2013.18.40.20603 Received: 02 Oct 2013

Abstract

Plasmodium knowlesi was known as a plasmodium of macaques until P. knowlesi transmission to humans was recognised in Borneo and later throughout South-East Asia. We describe here a case of a P. knowlesi infection imported to Germany from Thailand. The patient had not taken antimalarial chemoprophylaxis and suffered from daily fever attacks. Microscopy revealed trophozoites and gametocytes resembling P. malariae. P. knowlesi malaria was confirmed by PCR.