According to an article posted on the Nature journal website titled
Origin of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in gorillas, this new study has shown that Plasmodium falciparum, a protozoan parasite that causes Malaria in humans, diverged from its Plasmodium relative that affects Gorillas. This debunks previous research that its closest relative was from Plasmodium reichenowi, the species that attacks Chimpanzees.
By comparing wild gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo droppings, they have isolated and genetically analyzed the malarial parasites. Through a series of gene amplification techniques and by testing which site the human P. falciparum attaches to, the group determined that the organism emerged from one cross-species transmission event at a much earlier time than previously believed, when plasmodium was thought to have diverged from about the same time humans and chimpanzees separated 7-5 million years ago. This study suggests that the human plasmodium first appeared as early as 5,000 years ago and that its close relationship to the gorilla parasite may have significant effect to its gene transfers and evolution.
Poster's comments:
This information is extremely beneficial to the efforts of Malaria eradication because it gives them knowledge about specific genes that causes its pathogenic ways. This also provides ideas that may make one thoughtful about fully destroying this organism since a close relative may "move in" to fill its niche. I'm more fascinated on the fact that they can retrieve so much information on fecal droppings alone. I guess one ape's waste is one human's salvation.
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