Background The Indonesian archipelago is endemic for malaria. Although Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are the most common causes for malaria cases, P. malariae and P. ovale are also present in certain regions. Zoonotic case of malaria had just became the attention of public health communities after the Serawak study in 2004. However, zoonotic case in Indonesia is still under reported; only one published report of knowlesi malaria in South Kalimantan in 2010.Case presentationA case of Plasmodium knowlesi infection in a worker from a charcoal mining company in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia was described. The worker suffered from fever following his visit to a lowland forest being cut and converted into a new mining location.ConclusionThis study confirmed a zoonotic infection using polymerase chain reaction amplification and Sanger sequencing of plasmodial DNA encoding the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI).

We determined the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Jakarta and neighboring areas, Indonesia from March 2020 to February 2021, based on nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) swab specimens that were tested at the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta. NP/OP swab specimens were collected from COVID-19 suspects or individuals in contact tracing programs from primary healthcare centers (PHC) and hospitals. The specimens were screened for the SARS-CoV-2 by qRT-PCR. Demography data and clinical symptoms were collected using national standardized laboratory form. Of 64,364 specimens, 10,130 (15.7%) were confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2, with the peak prevalence of infection in March 2020 (26.3%) follow by in January 2021 (23.9%) and February 2021 (21.8%). We found that the positivity rate of the specimens from Jakarta, West Java, and Banten was 16.3%, 13.3%, and 16.8%, respectively. Positivity rate was higher in specimens from hospitals (16.9%) than PHC (9.4%). Of the positive specimens, 29.6% were from individuals aged >60 years old, followed by individuals aged 41–60 years old (24.2%). Among symptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2, the most common symptoms were cough, fever, and a combination of both cough & fever. In conclusion, this study illustrates the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics from one COVID-19 diagnostic center in Jakarta and neighbouring areas in Indonesia.

No abstract

Background The recent deforestation for agricultural, mining, and human re-settlement has significantly reduced the habitat of many non-human primates (NHPs) in Indonesia and intensifies interaction between the NHPs and humans and thus opening the possibility of pathogen spill-over. The emergence of zoonotic malaria, such as Plasmodium knowlesi, poses an immense threat to the current malaria control and elimination that aims for the global elimination of malaria by 2030. As malaria in humans and NHPs is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito, malaria vector control is very important to mitigate the spill-over of the malaria parasite to humans. The present study aims to explore the Anopheles species diversity in human settlements adjacent to the wildlife sanctuary forest in Buton Utara Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, and identify the species that potentially transmit the pathogen from monkey to human in the area. Methods Mosquito surveillance was conducted using larval and adult collection, and the collected mosquitoes were identified morphologically and molecularly using the barcoding markers, cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), and internal transcribed species 2 (ITS2) genes. Plasmodium sporozoite carriage was conducted on mosquitoes collected through human landing catch (HLC) and human-baited double net trap (HDNT). Results The results revealed several Anopheles species, such as Anopheles flavirostris (16.6%), Anopheles sulawesi (3.3%), Anopheles maculatus (3.3%), Anopheles koliensis (1.2%), and Anopheles vagus (0.4%). Molecular analysis of the sporozoite carriage using the primate-specific malaria primers identified An. sulawesi, a member of the Leucosphyrus group, carrying Plasmodium inui sporozoite. Conclusions This study indicates that the transmission of zoonotic malaria in the area is possible and alerts to the need for mitigation efforts through a locally-tailored vector control intervention and NHPs habitat conservation.

Background Indonesia is home for many species of non-human primate (NHP). The current deforestation has substantially reduced the habitat of the NHPs and intensifies interaction with human being and thus open the possibility of pathogen spill over. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of malaria parasite infection among the NHPs in five provinces of Indonesia during the period of 2022 through the capture and release of wild NHPs using a trap installed in several localities surrounding the sanctuary that border the human settlement. The potential Anopheles sp. mosquito that may transmit the pathogen to human was also explored.Methods Epidemiologic surveys were conducted through the capture and release of wild NHPs using a trap installed in several localities surrounding the wildlife sanctuary that border the human settlement. Captured NHP was anesthetized and blood samples were aseptically drawn using phlebotomy to make blood smear and dried blood spot (DBS) on filter paper. Infection of the captured NHPs with malaria was determined using light microscopy on Giemsa-stained blood smears and PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the amplicons using the rPLU oligos. The species of the NHP was determined using the barcoding DNA markers, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (COI) and Internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) gene of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. Mosquito surveillance included larval collection on breeding sites and adult collection using human landing catch (HLC) and light traps.Results Analysis of the DNA extracted from the DBS of the 110 captured NHPs, revealed positive Plasmodium, namely P. cynomolgi, P.coatneyi, P. inui, P. knowlesi and Plasmodium sp. at the prevalence rate of 42% and 50% by microscopy and PCR, respectively. Molecular analysis on the captured NHPs identified several species of Macaca sp. and Hylobates sp. Mosquito surveillance identified several common breeding sites such as ditch, piddle, and natural ponds. Anopheles letifer was found during HLC carried sporozoites of primate malaria.Conclusion The findings indicate a high prevalence of primate malaria infection among the NHPs and in certain areas the Anopheles sp. vector that potentially transmit zoonotic malaria such as An. letifer were identified during HLC. Overall, the zoonotic malaria transmission in several areas is immense.