Question

Malaria is a tropical, mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasitic protist, plasmodium. the species p. falciparum is particularly deadly, killing about 1 million people each year. there has been considerable debate over the origin of this species. use this recent phylogenetic evidence to determine if p. falciparum originated from another strain of plasmodium in humans, in chimpanzees, or in gorillas. explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

I think the P.falciparum originated from plasmodium in gorillas because P. falciparum shares a most recent common ancestor with Plasmodium in gorillas. Plasmodium falciparum is a unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of plasmodium that causes malaria in humans, transmitted through bites from female Anopheles mosquito.