Monkeys and Malaria

Publisher Summary Malaria is one of the world's most devastating diseases. Its intermittent fevers have been recognized since the beginning of recorded history. Because the parasites that cause malaria are very small, it was not possible to detect these pathogens until after the invention of the microscope. About five years after the finding of the human malaria parasites, birds were found also to be infected with malaria. But it was not until 1898 that malaria was seen in monkeys. It seems odd that bird malarias were found before the monkey malarias and that there was a lapse of 18 years from the discovery of the human parasite until they were found in these lower primates, animals that are recognized to have many similarities to man. Some scientists believe that some of the malarias of man and monkey are the same species, viz., P. malariae of man is the same as P. brasilianum of the Western Hemisphere monkeys. There are many important problems that can, should, and probably will be investigated in this new monkey host–human parasite model. However, the major difficulties have to do with the supply of the experimental animals, both quantitatively and qualitatively.