Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale – the ‘bashful’ malaria parasites

Although Plasmodium malariae was first described as an infectious disease of humans by Golgi in 1886 and Plasmodium ovale identified by Stevens in 1922, there are still large gaps in our knowledge of the importance of these infections as causes of malaria in different parts of the world. They have t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in parasitology 2007-06, Vol.23 (6), p.278-283
Main Authors: Mueller, Ivo, Zimmerman, Peter A, Reeder, John C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Animals
Child
Child, Preschool
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infectious Disease
Malaria - diagnosis
Malaria - epidemiology
Malaria - parasitology
Microscopy - methods
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium malariae
Plasmodium malariae - classification
Plasmodium malariae - genetics
Plasmodium malariae - isolation & purification
Plasmodium ovale
Plasmodium ovale - classification
Plasmodium ovale - genetics
Plasmodium ovale - isolation & purification
Plasmodium vivax
Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods
Prevalence
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Summary:Although Plasmodium malariae was first described as an infectious disease of humans by Golgi in 1886 and Plasmodium ovale identified by Stevens in 1922, there are still large gaps in our knowledge of the importance of these infections as causes of malaria in different parts of the world. They have traditionally been thought of as mild illnesses that are caused by rare and, in case of P. ovale, short-lived parasites. However, recent advances in sensitive PCR diagnosis are causing a re-evaluation of this assumption. Low-level infection seems to be common across malaria-endemic areas, often as complex mixed infections. The potential interactions of P. malariae and P. ovale with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax might explain some basic questions of malaria epidemiology, and understanding these interactions could have an important influence on the deployment of interventions such as malaria vaccines.
ISSN:1471-4922
1471-5007
DOI:10.1016/j.pt.2007.04.009