Morphological Features and Molecular of Plasmodium inui in Macaca fascicularis from Bogor, West Java

Abstract

Plasmodium is causative agent of malaria in human through the intermediary of female mosquitoes Anopheles spp. Two of the most important human malaria parasites, P. falciparum and P. vivax, are derived from the complete transmission event of non-human primate malaria species to human. Late data shows an increase number of malarial cases caused by P. malariae like Plasmodium parasite. The results of molecular analysis shows that such cases are not caused by P. malariae but by the primate malarial parasite, P. knowlesi. The P. cycomolgy is another plasmodium of non-human primate has also been through transmission events so that it is able to infect human. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphological features and molecular of Plasmodium inui in Macaca fascicularis from Bogor, West Java. Microscopic identification was carried out on thin blood smear prepared from blood samples collected from 274 M. fascicularis in two captivities in Bogor, West Java. Genomic DNA was extracted using QIAgen extraction kit and protocol, and used for SSU-RNA based PCR amplification and sequencing. The results showed the incidence of plasmodium in the Macaca fascicularis examined was 13.8 % (38/274). Molecular analysis showed that the Plasmodium positive primates were infected by P. inui. The parasite was found in the trophozoite and schizon forms that are morphologically very similar to to that of Plasmodium malariae.