title: Investigation on possible transmission of monkeys' Plasmodium to human in a populations living in the equatorial rainforest of the Democratic republic of Congo.
abstract: Plasmodiums are protozoa that may infect various hosts. Only five species are now recognized as naturally parasitizing humans: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi. This fifth species, P. knowlesi, previously identified as naturally parasitizing the monkey Macaca fascicularis, has been microscopically confused for a long time with P. malariae or P. falciparum and it was not possible to correctly differentiate them until the advent of molecular biology. To date, natural human infections with P. knowlesi only occur in Southeast Asia and a similar phenomenon of natural transmission of simian plasmodium to humans has not been reported elsewhere. This study was conducted to investigate a possible transmission of African small monkey's plasmodium to humans in populations living near the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where several species of non-human primates are living. Two successive real-time PCRs were identified in the literature and used in combination for purpose. Only P. falciparum was found in this study. However, studies with larger samples and with more advanced techniques should be conducted.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Dieudonné Makaba
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mvumbi
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lengu Bobanga
authors.affiliation: National Malaria Control Program, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Solange Efundu
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Umesumbu
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Billy Shako
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kunyu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ntumba Kayembe
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Nani-Tuma H
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Situakibanza
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Georges Lelo
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Mvumbi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pierrette
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Melin
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Mol
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marie-Pierre
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Hayette
keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo; Malaria; Monkey plasmodium; RT-PCR