Читать книгу Parasitology - Alan Gunn - Страница 78

This species inhabits many parts of Southeast Asia. Its normal hosts are monkeys such as the long‐tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis). It is also capable of infecting humans and is therefore a zoonosis. Human infections are a particular problem in Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia. In blood smears, it is often mistaken for P. malariae and therefore considered ‘low risk’. Unfortunately, the consequences of misdiagnosis can be fatal. This is because P. knowlesi causes serious pathology in a similar manner to P. falciparum. Like P. vivax, the merozoites of P. knowlesi only invade red blood cells carrying the Duffy buffer blood group antigens Fy ^a and Fy ^b .