Most research on malaria focuses on Plasmodium falciparum, the species responsible for the deadliest infections in humans. But malaria is caused by not just one type of Plasmodium parasite. Together with Dr. Joanne Thompson, our project looks at the so-called “non-falciform” malaria species, P. malariae and P. ovale. These parasites are usually reported as rare. However, we suspect they might be more common. Standard diagnostic methods, such as microscopy and current DNA-based tests, such as 18s RNA, are prone to miss low-density infections.

Our work now is to identify a better genetic marker that can allow more accurate detection of these non-falciparum species. With this, we aim to answer a key question: are P. malariae and P. ovale truly uncommon, or are they simply overlooked? 

Email: Mohamed.Abdelrahim@ed.ac.uk