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Hidden History
21 March 2016

Hidden History

Causing several hundred thousand fatalities each year, malaria is a major concern for human health, but also affects a wide range of other animals. Most recently, the Plasmodium parasites responsible for malaria were found in North American white-tailed deer (pictured), a discovery that challenges our understanding of the evolutionary history of this disease. Despite a previous isolated record, malaria was not considered to occur in deer, or in any New World mammals, with the exception of primates who contracted the parasites from humans. On the contrary, analysis of the deer parasites’ genomes suggests that Plasmodium has been present in North American deer since they invaded the continent several million years ago. As low levels of infection in deer make the parasites difficult to detect, this study raises the possibility of more undiscovered cryptic infections in other species, and highlights how much more there is to learn about this widespread disease.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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