A population genetic perspective on the origin, spread and adaptation of the human malaria agents Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax

Abstract

Malaria is considered one of the most important scourges that humanity has faced during its history, being responsible every year for numerous deaths worldwide. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites, among which two species are responsible of the majority of the burden, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. For these two parasite species, the questions of their origin (how and when they appeared in humans), of their spread throughout the world, as well as how they have adapted to humans have long been of interest to the scientific community. In this paper we review the existing body of knowledge, including current research dealing with these questions, focusing particularly on genetic and genomic analyses of these parasites and comparison with related Plasmodium species infecting other species of host (such as non-human primates).

Keywords: colonization; comparative and population genomics; host switch; local adaptation; malaria; vectors.