QUESTION I heard researchers have found a new malaria parasite—what is the name? ANSWER New malaria parasites are found quite regularly—the parasite that causes malaria, Plasmodium, actually infects birds, reptiles, rodents and non-human primates like monkeys and apes as well as humans. As such, non-human forms of malaria are discovered relatively frequently in other species. … [Read more...]
Malaria Hosts
QUESTION Which are malaria hosts and how does malaria have an effect on one of them? ANSWER The parasite which causes malaria (called Plasmodium) requires two different hosts—a vertebrate intermediate host, such as a human, and an insect definitive host, also known as the vector. For the types of malaria which infect humans and other mammals, the vector is always a mosquito of the … [Read more...]
Evolution of Malaria
QUESTION how did malaria evolve? ANSWER Malaria in humans probably evolved independently several times, and both times likely due to a cross-over event from a closely related primate malaria. For example, Plasmodium vivax is evolutionarily closely related to several species of malaria found in macaque monkeys in south-east Asia, and so a cross-over of one of those species into human, with … [Read more...]