Janet Cox
Degrees
BSc (Hons) Microbiology -The Queens University of Belfast
PhD, Parasitology - The University of Liverpool
Specialisation - Malaria
Current position: Senior Research Fellow, St George’s University of London, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Malaria Research Centre, University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).
I have a background in Medical Microbiology and have worked on parasites of medical importance since 1983. I lived and worked in Malaysia for 17 years and I am co-founder of the Malaria Research Centre (UNIMAS), Malaysian Borneo.
In the early 2000’s our research team at UNIMAS used comparative molecular biology to investigate reports of an unexpectedly large focus of Plasmodium malariae in the human population in Borneo. We compared DNA sequences from these parasites with a range of plasmodium species and discovered that the patients were infected not with P. malariae but with P. knowlesi. P. knowlesi is a member of a group of phylogenetically related Plasmodium species found naturally in the old world monkeys of southeast Asia. P. knowlesi was previously thought to be rare in humans and the discovery of a large focus of human infections in Borneo was surprising. Further work demonstrated that unlike P. malariae, P. knowlesi in humans is not benign, is widespread and can be fatal. A short documentary on knowlesi malaria in Borneo can be viewed at http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2533454.htm.
I conducted many research projects in remote areas of Borneo and enjoyed the privilege of meeting and working with rural communities at risk from malaria. Also while in Borneo I was fortunate to collaborate with a team of evolutionary biologists and, in addition to my main research on disease in humans, I experienced working in the field with Bornean rodents, fruit bats and flying foxes.
I recently joined St George’s where I continue my work on the pathophysiology of knowlesi malaria while becoming acquainted with 21st century Britain.
Key references:
Cox-Singh J, Hiu J, Lucas SB, Divis PC, Zulkarnaen M, Chandran P, Wong KT, Adem P, Zaki SR, Singh B, Krishna S (2010) Severe malaria - a case of fatal Plasmodium knowlesi infection with post-mortem findings: a case report. Malar J 9:10
Cox-Singh J, Davis TME, Lee KS, Shamsul SSG, Matusop A, Ratnam S, Rahman , Conway DJ, Singh B. Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in humans is widely distributed and potentially life-threatening. Clin Infect Dis. 2008; 46, 165 - 171. (This publication received the Emanuel Wolinsky award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America for the most original contribution to the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases in 2008.)
Singh, B., Kim Sung, L., Matusop, A., Radhakrishnan, A., Shamsul, S.S., Cox-Singh, J., Thomas, A., Conway, D.J., 2004. A large focus of naturally acquired Plasmodium knowlesi infections in human beings. Lancet 363, 1017-1024.
