New Zealand

We describe avian malaria lineages and their seasonal prevalence in 2007-2008 in Saddlebacks from Mokoia Island, a source of birds for translocations, and investigate their pathogenicity.

Understanding the origin of invasive parasites and ecological transmission barriers on the distribution of mosquito-borne pathogens is enriched by molecular phylogenetic approaches now that large databases are becoming available.

A case of P. knowlesi malaria is described in a helicopter pilot from New Zealand, who became ill after returning from recurring visits to Malaysian Borneo in June 2010. His P. knowlesi infection was not detected using microscopic examination and a rapid diagnostic test for malaria, but was confirmed by both PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and sequence analysis showing homology with the ribosomal RNA gene for P. knowlesi.