Publication Date:
2011-09-21
Description:
The origin of Plasmodium falciparum, the cause of malignant malaria in humans, has been the subject of much debate since closely related parasites were found in (mostly captive) chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas (reviewed in 1). However, analyses of nearly 3,000 fecal samples from wild-living African apes identified P. falciparum-like parasites only in western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), thus pointing to this species as the original source of human infections (2). Prugnolle et al. (3) have now reported the amplification of P. falciparum-like sequences from the blood of a pet monkey. They propose that this “finding challenges the gorilla origin of the...
Keywords:
Letters
Print ISSN:
0027-8424
Electronic ISSN:
1091-6490
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
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