Plasmodium silvaticum
Encyclopedia
Plasmodium silvaticum is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium
subgenus Plasmodium
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. silvaticum has both vertebrate
and insect
hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are mammal
s.
It is a member of the vivax group and closely resembles the other members of this group.
Its prevalence varies considerably: Wolfe et al found the highest Plasmodium spp. prevalence tp be 93.5% (29/31) in captive animals but 11.6% (5/43) in wild orangutans. Despite the apparent lack of pathology a study of the population genetics of the alpha 2 haemoglobin suggested that this parasite (or others like it) has had a significant selective effect on the orangutan genome.
It can be transmitted both by blood inoculation and by sporozoite inoculation into splenectomized chimpanzee
s.
Plasmodium
Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protists. Infection by these organisms is known as malaria. The genus Plasmodium was described in 1885 by Ettore Marchiafava and Angelo Celli. Currently over 200 species of this genus are recognized and new species continue to be described.Of the over 200 known...
subgenus Plasmodium
Plasmodium
Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protists. Infection by these organisms is known as malaria. The genus Plasmodium was described in 1885 by Ettore Marchiafava and Angelo Celli. Currently over 200 species of this genus are recognized and new species continue to be described.Of the over 200 known...
.
Like all Plasmodium species P. silvaticum has both vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s.
Description
The parasite was first described by Garnham et al in 1972It is a member of the vivax group and closely resembles the other members of this group.
Vectors
Anopheles balabacensis, Anopheles maculatus and Anopheles sundaicusClinical features and host pathology
The parasite has an approximately 48 hour life cycle and gives rise to a tertian fever. The disease itself appears to be mild with little overt pathology.Its prevalence varies considerably: Wolfe et al found the highest Plasmodium spp. prevalence tp be 93.5% (29/31) in captive animals but 11.6% (5/43) in wild orangutans. Despite the apparent lack of pathology a study of the population genetics of the alpha 2 haemoglobin suggested that this parasite (or others like it) has had a significant selective effect on the orangutan genome.
It can be transmitted both by blood inoculation and by sporozoite inoculation into splenectomized chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s.