Verhulst Niels O, Smallegange Renate C, Takken Willem
Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Centre Wageningen, Netherlands.
Front Physiol. 2012 Jun 11;3:197. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00197. eCollection 2012.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites which are transmitted by mosquitoes. Until recently, human malaria was considered to be caused by human-specific Plasmodium species. Studies on Plasmodium parasites in non-human primates (NHPs), however, have identified parasite species in gorillas and chimpanzees that are closely related to human Plasmodium species. Moreover, P. knowlesi, long known as a parasite of monkeys, frequently infects humans. The requirements for such a cross-species exchange and especially the role of mosquitoes in this process are discussed, as the latter may act as bridge vectors of Plasmodium species between different primates. Little is known about the mosquito species that would bite both humans and NHPs and if so, whether humans and NHPs share the same Plasmodium vectors. To understand the vector-host interactions that can lead to an increased Plasmodium transmission between species, studies are required that reveal the nature of these interactions. Studying the potential role of NHPs as a Plasmodium reservoir for humans will contribute to the ongoing efforts of human malaria elimination, and will help to focus on critical areas that should be considered in achieving this goal.
疟疾由疟原虫寄生虫引起，通过蚊子传播。直到最近，人类疟疾都被认为是由人类特有的疟原虫物种引起的。然而，对非人类灵长类动物（NHPs）体内疟原虫寄生虫的研究发现，大猩猩和黑猩猩体内的寄生虫物种与人类疟原虫物种密切相关。此外，长期以来被认为是猴子寄生虫的诺氏疟原虫经常感染人类。本文讨论了这种跨物种传播的条件，特别是蚊子在这一过程中的作用，因为蚊子可能充当不同灵长类动物之间疟原虫物种的桥梁媒介。对于既会叮咬人类又会叮咬非人类灵长类动物的蚊子种类，以及如果存在这种蚊子，人类和非人类灵长类动物是否共享相同的疟原虫传播媒介，我们知之甚少。为了了解可能导致疟原虫在物种间传播增加的媒介-宿主相互作用，需要开展研究以揭示这些相互作用的本质。研究非人类灵长类动物作为人类疟原虫储存宿主的潜在作用，将有助于当前人类疟疾消除工作，并有助于聚焦实现这一目标时应考虑的关键领域。
