Abstract
Malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp) that infect great apes are very poorly documented Malaria was first described in gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans in the early 20th century, but most studies were confined to a handful of chimpanzees in the 1930-1950s and a few orangutans in the 1970s. The three Plasmodium species described in African great apes were very similar to those infecting humans. The most extensively studied was P reichenowi, because of its close phylogenetic relation to P. falciparum, the predominant parasite in Africa and the most dangerous for humans. In the last three years, independent molecular studies of various chimpanzee and gorilla populations have revealed an unexpected diversity in the Plasmodium species they harbor, which are also phylogenetically close to P falciparum. In addition, cases of non human primate infection by human malaria parasites have been observed. These observations shed fresh light on the origin and evolutionary history of P. falciparum and provide a unique opportunity to probe the biological specificities of this major human parasite.
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