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Photo by Holly Lutz
A study published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution has revealed a new hypothesis on the evolution of malaria.
Researchers tested malarial DNA found in birds, bats, and other small mammals from 5 East African countries and found evidence to suggest that malaria has its roots in bird hosts.
It then spread to bats and on to other mammals.
“We can’t begin to understand how malaria spread to humans until we understand its evolutionary history,” said Holly Lutz, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
“In learning about its past, we may be better able to understand the effects it has on us.”
Lutz and her colleagues took blood samples from hundreds of East African birds, bats, and other small mammals and screened the blood for malaria parasites.
When they found malaria, the team took samples of the parasites’ DNA and sequenced it to identify mutations in the genetic code. From there, the researchers performed phylogenetic analyses to determine how different malaria species are related.
In analyzing the genetic codes of the parasites, the team was able to find places where the DNA differed from one species to the next. Then, the researchers used computing software to determine how the different species evolved and how they’re related to each other.
“[B]y looking at patterns of mutations in the DNA of the different malaria species, we’re able to see when it branched off from one host group into another,” Lutz explained. “It started out as a parasite in birds, and then it evolved to colonize bats, and from there, it’s evolved to affect other mammals.”
In addition to shedding light on the way malaria was able to evolve and spread, the study provides information about the manner in which animals and their parasites are connected.
“Each of these individual vertebrates is an ecosystem in and of itself,” Lutz said. “In learning more about how parasites live within their hosts, who is infecting who, and how these organisms coexist in these living, breathing ecosystems, we can learn more about how they are connected to and affected by the natural environments that we share with animals and plants.”
The researchers noted that this study doesn’t have direct implications for malaria treatment in humans. However, the team believes that having a better understanding of malaria’s evolutionary history could help scientists anticipate how it will change and evolve in the future. 
Photo by Holly Lutz
A study published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution has revealed a new hypothesis on the evolution of malaria.
Researchers tested malarial DNA found in birds, bats, and other small mammals from 5 East African countries and found evidence to suggest that malaria has its roots in bird hosts.
It then spread to bats and on to other mammals.
“We can’t begin to understand how malaria spread to humans until we understand its evolutionary history,” said Holly Lutz, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
“In learning about its past, we may be better able to understand the effects it has on us.”
Lutz and her colleagues took blood samples from hundreds of East African birds, bats, and other small mammals and screened the blood for malaria parasites.
When they found malaria, the team took samples of the parasites’ DNA and sequenced it to identify mutations in the genetic code. From there, the researchers performed phylogenetic analyses to determine how different malaria species are related.
In analyzing the genetic codes of the parasites, the team was able to find places where the DNA differed from one species to the next. Then, the researchers used computing software to determine how the different species evolved and how they’re related to each other.
“[B]y looking at patterns of mutations in the DNA of the different malaria species, we’re able to see when it branched off from one host group into another,” Lutz explained. “It started out as a parasite in birds, and then it evolved to colonize bats, and from there, it’s evolved to affect other mammals.”
In addition to shedding light on the way malaria was able to evolve and spread, the study provides information about the manner in which animals and their parasites are connected.
“Each of these individual vertebrates is an ecosystem in and of itself,” Lutz said. “In learning more about how parasites live within their hosts, who is infecting who, and how these organisms coexist in these living, breathing ecosystems, we can learn more about how they are connected to and affected by the natural environments that we share with animals and plants.”
The researchers noted that this study doesn’t have direct implications for malaria treatment in humans. However, the team believes that having a better understanding of malaria’s evolutionary history could help scientists anticipate how it will change and evolve in the future.
Photo by Holly Lutz
A study published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution has revealed a new hypothesis on the evolution of malaria.
Researchers tested malarial DNA found in birds, bats, and other small mammals from 5 East African countries and found evidence to suggest that malaria has its roots in bird hosts.
It then spread to bats and on to other mammals.
“We can’t begin to understand how malaria spread to humans until we understand its evolutionary history,” said Holly Lutz, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
“In learning about its past, we may be better able to understand the effects it has on us.”
Lutz and her colleagues took blood samples from hundreds of East African birds, bats, and other small mammals and screened the blood for malaria parasites.
When they found malaria, the team took samples of the parasites’ DNA and sequenced it to identify mutations in the genetic code. From there, the researchers performed phylogenetic analyses to determine how different malaria species are related.
In analyzing the genetic codes of the parasites, the team was able to find places where the DNA differed from one species to the next. Then, the researchers used computing software to determine how the different species evolved and how they’re related to each other.
“[B]y looking at patterns of mutations in the DNA of the different malaria species, we’re able to see when it branched off from one host group into another,” Lutz explained. “It started out as a parasite in birds, and then it evolved to colonize bats, and from there, it’s evolved to affect other mammals.”
In addition to shedding light on the way malaria was able to evolve and spread, the study provides information about the manner in which animals and their parasites are connected.
“Each of these individual vertebrates is an ecosystem in and of itself,” Lutz said. “In learning more about how parasites live within their hosts, who is infecting who, and how these organisms coexist in these living, breathing ecosystems, we can learn more about how they are connected to and affected by the natural environments that we share with animals and plants.”
The researchers noted that this study doesn’t have direct implications for malaria treatment in humans. However, the team believes that having a better understanding of malaria’s evolutionary history could help scientists anticipate how it will change and evolve in the future.