''Plasmodium gaboni'' is a parasite of the genus ''
Plasmodium'' subgenus ''
Laverania''.
''P. gaboni'' was given its name in reference to Gabon, where the parasite was discovered in two wild-borne chimpanzees kept as pets in villages in that country.
''Plasmodium gaboni'' is
phylogenetically
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
very close to ''
Plasmodium billbrayi''.
Taxonomy
In 2009, Ollomo et al. published the complete mitochondrial genome of ''Plasmodium gaboni'', which was not yet named at the time. The parasite belongs to the ''
P falciparum/
P reichenowi'' lineage.
It has been proposed that ''Plasmodium gaboni'' diverged from the ''P falciparum/P reichenowi'' lineage about 21 million years ago, leading to the conclusion that the ancestor of this parasite
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
could have been already present in
hominid
The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the east ...
ancestors.
''Plasmodium gaboni'' is 10-fold more diverse than human parasite ''
Plasmodium falciparum
''Plasmodium falciparum'' is a Unicellular organism, unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of ''Plasmodium'' that causes malaria in humans. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female ''Anopheles'' mosqu ...
'', indicating a very recent origin of the latter.
''Plasmodium gaboni'' is similar to both ''Plasmodium falciparum'' and to ''
Plasmodium reichenowi'' in microscopic studies, seeming likely that all of these ape
Laverania parasites represent morphologically indistinguishable species.
Distribution
''Plasmodium gaboni'' can be found in western Africa.
Hosts
Study has confirmed the presence of ''Plasmodium gaboni'' in wild chimpanzees (subspecies ''
Pan troglodytes troglodytes
The central chimpanzee or the tschego (''Pan troglodytes troglodytes'') is a subspecies of chimpanzee closely related to the other Hominidae, great apes such as gorillas, orangutans, and humans. The central chimpanzee can be found in Central Afric ...
'' and ''
Pan troglodytes vellerosus
The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes ellioti'') is a subspecies of the common chimpanzee which inhabits the rainforest along the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. Male Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees can weigh up to 70 kilos with a bo ...
'').
Due to the close proximity between ''Plasmodium gaboni'' and the most virulent agent of
malaria, ''Plasmodium falciparum'', it has been considered the possibility of transfer risk of this species to humans.
See also
*
List of Plasmodium species infecting primates
The ''Plasmodium'' species infecting primates include the parasites causing malaria in humans.
Species infecting humans
Common infections
*'' Plasmodium falciparum'' (the cause of malignant tertian malaria)
*''Plasmodium vivax'' (the most ...
References
gaboni
{{plasmodium-stub