First Cases of Malaria

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QUESTION

What is the first infected person with Plasmodium?

ANSWER

Plasmodium, the single-celled parasite which causes malaria, has been infecting humans since ancient times. In fact, the first written reference to its symptoms dates back almost 5000 years, to an ancient Chinese manuscript! It was also known from the writings of other ancient peoples, such as the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians; when Europeans arrived in the Americas, they found that local tribes had long recognised the dangers of malaria, and already had natural remedies for fever, including the bark of the cinchona tree, which was later used to make quinine (a moden anti-malarial). As such, it is impossible to say now who the first person infected with Plasmodium was, but it definitely occurred many thousands of years ago.

However, it was only until the late 19th century that people understood that Plasmodium parasites caused malaria, and knew how to observe the infection in the patient’s blood. This was done was Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French physician working in Algeria. As such, you could argue that the first person known to have Plasmodium was the patient he observed the parasite within, when he first described Plasmodium. Unfortunately, the patient had died of the disease; Laveran examined the blood after the patient had perished. I am not sure the patient’s name was recorded.

First Malaria Outbreak

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QUESTION

When was the first ever outbreak of malaria?

ANSWER

Malaria has actually been known in human populations for thousands of years, so the first ever outbreak occurred long before any records were kept. The ancient Chinese recorded the symptoms of malaria in a medical manuscript which dates back to 2700 BCE, so almost 5000 years ago!

The symptoms of malaria were also known to the ancient Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and native peoples of the Americas, though none of them fully understood the cause of the disease or how it was transmitted. That information was discovered in the late 19th century, by Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, who first observed malaria parasites in the blood of a patient and attributed them to the disease, and by Ronald Ross, who demonstrated that the malaria parasite was transmitted by mosquitoes.

When did malaria start?

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QUESTION

What year did malaria start?

ANSWER

Malaria first emerged as an infection of humans tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years ago. The species of malaria that infect humans probably evolved from closely related malaria species that infect macaques (in the case of Plasmodium vivax) and gorillas (in the case of P. falciparum).

The earliest records from human history of malaria come from a Chinese medical parchment almost 5000 years ago, and it is believed the ancient Egyptians also recognised the symptoms of the disease. Written accounts of malaria also occur in ancient Roman and Greek texts, though the true causes of malaria were not discovered until the 19th century.

Who Discovered Malaria?

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QUESTION

Who discovered malaria?

ANSWER

People have known about malaria for thousands of years—the first record of it comes from 2700 BCE, in an ancient Chinese medical text. Other ancient peoples, such as the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, also knew the symptoms associated with malaria. But it wasn’t until the 19th century that the causes of malaria were understood. In 1880, a French physician named Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran first saw the parasites that cause malaria in the blood of a patient. By 1886, Camillo Golgi, an Italian physiologist, had observed that there were at least two separate types of malaria, which produced different length cycles of fever during the clinical presentation. These two forms were later called Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae. It wasn’t until more than a decade later, in 1897/1898, that the method of transmission of malaria was first understood – Ronald Ross, a British army doctor, showed that malaria could be passed from a human patient to a mosquito vector, and also between infected hosts using mosquitoes. He won the Nobel Prize for medicine for his work in 1902.

Since then, research on malaria has expanded exponentially, with particular attention giving to understanding ways in which the parasite can be therapeutically halted, thus leading to the discovery of new malaria medications.

Who introduced malaria in which century?

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QUESTION

Who introduced malaria in which century, how does it cause malaria and what is the virus’ name?

ANSWER

Malaria wasn’t introduced; it has been evolving alongside humans for thousands, if not millions of years. The first known mention of malaria by humans is in an ancient Chinese medical text, from 2700 BCE (before common era). Other ancient people, such as the Romans and the Greeks, knew the symptoms of malaria and described it in writing.

Malaria is actually not caused by a virus, but a single-celled animal called a protozoan. The genus name of the protozoans that cause malaria is Plasmodium, and there are five main species that infect humans: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi.

The malaria parasites cause the disease by entering into red blood cells and multiplying; when they have reproduced, they burst out of the red blood cell, destroying it. The patient’s blood is therefore rapidly full of malaria parasites, their waste products, plus bits of destroyed red blood cell; this produces an extreme immune reaction which causes many of the symptoms of malaria. In infection with P. falciparum, the most deadly and severe kind, infection with the parasite causes red blood cells to sequester in tiny red blood cells within major organs, causing reduced oxygen flow and complications. When this occurs in the brain, the result is cerebral malaria, which can result in convulsions and even a coma.

Origin of Malaria

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QUESTION:

What is the origin of malaria?

ANSWER:

Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite called Plasmodium; different species cause the different forms of malaria we see in different parts of the world. Malaria has been in existence for millions of years; it likely evolved from similar infections in other apes. Ancient people recognised the symptoms of malaria as early as 2700 BCE, when it was first described in a Chinese medical text. The ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians also knew about it, but it wasn’t until the 19th century when the causative agents were first seen in a patient’s blood by a French surgeon called Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran. A few years later, a British Army doctor called Ronald Ross first discovered that the parasites were transmitted via mosquitoes. He won the Nobel Prize for his work in 1902.

Who discovered the disease malaria?

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QUESTION:

Who discovered the malaria disease and when?

ANSWER:

Malaria has been known for thousands of years; there are written accounts of the disease, including a description of its symptoms, in ancient Chinese medical texts from 2700 BCE. The ancient Romans and Greeks also knew about malaria.

However, the causes of the disease were only discovered in the 19th century. In 1880, a French surgeon called Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran stationed in Algeria was the first person to see the parasites that cause malaria in the blood of an infected person. Then, a few years later, in 1897/1898, a British army doctor called Ronald Ross discovered that mosquitoes transmitted the parasites between patients. This allowed for further clarification of the life cycle of malaria, and thus opened up the path for modern malaria research and control.