different types of plasmodium parasite
Cause. Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium. Human malaria is caused by four different species of Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale and P. vivax. Humans occasionally become infected with Plasmodium species that normally infect animals, such as P. knowlesi.uman malaria is caused by four different species of Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale and P. vivax.
The parasite is thought to have originated from Dinoflagellates, photosynthetic protozoa. The most common forms of human malaria are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. knowlesi, and P. malariae. P. falciparum, common in sub-Saharan Africa, and P. knowlesi, common in Southeast Asia, are especially dangerous.he parasite is thought to have originated from Dinoflagellates, photosynthetic protozoa. The most common forms of human malaria are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. knowlesi, and P. malariae. P. falciparum, common in sub-Saharan Africa, and P. knowlesi, common in Southeast Asia, are especially dangerous.