(1973) n°3 - Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences

P.C.C. Garnham. — History of the Discovery
of the Tissue Stages of the Primate Malaria Parasites
SUMMARY
The search for the tissue cycle of the malaria parasites has
been bedevilled by a number of false clues. The earlier work
on avian malaria and incrimination of the mesoderm as the
site, proved to be a bad model for primate malaria. Although
the first observations on the tissue cycle had been made as
early as 1908 on malaria in pigeons in Brazil, another 40 years
had to elapse, before it was realised that the parenchyma cells
of the liver represented the sole site of exoerythrocytic development
in human malaria. Since 1948 the cycle in all human
parasites and in many animal species has been discovered, and
each species exhibits characteristic features. The origin of relapses
and the explanation of the delayed prepatent period in
certain strains of vivax malaria still remain an enigma.
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RESUME
La découverte du cycle complet des Plasmodium humains a
été retardée de plus de quarante années, du fait d’une première
orientation des recherches basée sur le paludisme aviaire.
Bien que l’on ait mis en évidence les différents cycles tissu-
laires, en dehors des globules rouges des divers parasites humains
et de nombreuses espèces animales, l’origine des rechutes
et la raison de l’allongement de la période d’incubation de
certaines souches de Plasmodium vivax reste une énigme.