QUESTION

What is a malaria host range?

ANSWER

Usually, a malaria host range refers to the natural geographical range of one of the hosts of a particular species of malaria. So, for example, Plasmodium reichenowi normally only infects chimpanzees. Chimpanzees live mainly in central and western Africa, so this would determine the host range for P. reichenowi. Other species of malaria, such as those that infect humans, have much larger host ranges, since humans live practically everywhere on the planet. In these cases, it is more likely that the range of that species of malaria is limited by climatic variables (malaria parasites require certain temperature ranges in which they are able to develop and mature) or the distribution of a suitable vector mosquito species, which also have climatic constraints.