Thursday, September 23, 2010

Gorillas and the Origin of Malaria

The western lowland gorilla of the Congo is found to be the most likely source of Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly parasite in humans. It apparently crossed the “species barrier” only once in evolution, as a result of a mosquito bite, and a long time ago.

Researchers believe identifying this link will lead to greater knowledge of how to combat the spread of the parasite, which currently infects 500 million people a year, killing about 2 million.

It is a major hope for Africa. Read the article in The Independent.

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