Plasmodium reichenowi

organism

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Last updated

July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

Plasmodium reichenowi is an organism that infects chimpanzees and gorillas and is morphologically similar to Plasmodium falciparum, a parasite that causes severe malaria in humans. While P. falciparum cannot infect chimpanzees and P. reichenowi cannot infect humans, scientists believe they share a common ancestor.12

Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protozoans that cause malaria. These organisms infect red blood cells in mammals, birds, and reptiles and are transmitted by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Five species of Plasmodium cause malaria in humans: P. vivax, P. ovale, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi.1

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malaria
Evolution of malaria parasites in primates
…primates (other than humans) was P. reichenowi, which occurs in both chimpanzees and gorillas. This organism, first described between 1917 and 1920, was found to be very similar morphologically to P. falciparum, suggesting that the two must be closely related. However, subsequent studies conducted in the 1920s and ’30s demonstrated…
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…primates (other than humans) was P. reichenowi, which occurs in both chimpanzees and gorillas. This organism, first described between 1917 and 1920, was found to be very similar morphologically to P. falciparum, suggesting that the two must be closely related. However, subsequent studies conducted in the 1920s and ’30s demonstrated…
Read More