RETRACTED: Tracking Plasmodium knowlesi Through Fecal DNA for Monitoring Zoonotic Transmission in Wild Macaques Across Southeast and South Asia (Retracted article. See vol. 234, 2026)

Abstract

We conducted the noninvasive surveillance of Plasmodium knowlesi in wild macaques using 4752 fecal samples collected across 9 endemic countries. Parasite DNA was detected in 390 samples (8.2%), with positivity rates ranging from 1.4% to 18.4%. This provides the first field-based evidence that P. knowlesi DNA in feces shed by macaques and present under natural conditions can be detected. These findings validate fecal sampling as a practical and scalable tool for tracking zoonotic-malaria. The results support integration into forest-runoff and rural wastewater surveillance systems, offering new opportunities for early detection of pathogens and environmental monitoring at the human-wildlife interface. This study validates noninvasive fecal sampling for tracking Plasmodium knowlesi in wild macaques, providing a scalable tool for early pathogen detection and environmental malaria surveillance.