Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the University of Pennsylvania in the United States have discovered the relationship between malaria parasites that infect humans and monkeys.
The mystery has lasted regarding 100 years, since scientists in the 1920s identified monkeys infected with parasites apparently identical to Plasmodium malariae, one of six strains that infect humans.
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“Of the six parasites that cause malaria in humans, P. malariae is one of the least understood,” said lead researcher Lindsey Plenderleith. Thanks to the new research, it was possible to discover that P. malariae originated from African chimpanzees and then infected humans.
The researchers analyzed the DNA of the parasites and determined three distinct species. P. malariae which infects more humans, and two others affect monkeys, one of which was unknown and was found in chimpanzees.
By comparing these species, it was possible to prove that the population of human malaria parasites has seen its population decrease temporarily, losing its genetic variation. This happened because P. malariae was a parasite of monkeys, but a small group switched hosts and started infecting humans.
Scientists find link between human malaria and great ape strain. Image: smuay (iStock)
“Our findings might provide vital clues as to how it became able to infect people, as well as help scientists assess whether further parasite jumps from monkeys to humans are likely,” they concluded. .
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