What varieties of Malaria are known to exist?
In total there are nearly 120 species of Plasmodia, including at least 22 found in primate hosts, and 19 in rodents, bats and other mammals. About 70 other Plasmodia species have been described in birds and reptiles. Human malaria is caused by four species of Plasmodium: Plasmodium falciparum, P.vivax, P. ovale and P.malariae. Various strains may exist within well-defined species, based on biological variations from one geographical area to another.
