Protozoan Diseases - PLASMODIUM spp.

Cause of malaria. Both quartan and tertian types occur in NHP. There is a high incidence in newly imported animals. Requires anopheline mosquitoes for transmission. Therefore zoonotic potential exists anywhere mosquitoes have access to infected animals. Generally thought that these conditions prevail only in Southern climates where monkeys are housed outdoors, but mosquitoes are found in Northern as well as Southern U.S. In general, human malaria caused by plasmodia of simian origin resembles a mild and benign infection caused by human plasmodia. The disease is of short duration, parasitemias are low, and relapses are rare. Must control flying insects in all primate facilities.