 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Gorillas carry malarial parasite
Irvine, Calif. (UPI) Jan 20, 2009 The quest to eradicate malaria in humans could be complicated by new findings that show gorillas carry the parasites, scientists in California said. The findings were confirmed in fecal samples from 84 gorillas in Cameroon and blood samples from three gorillas in Gabon, said biologist Francisco Ayala of the University of California, Irvine. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent each year trying to rid humans of malignant malaria. "But success may be a pyrrhic victory because we could be re-infected by gorillas just as we were originally infected by chimps a few thousand years ago," Ayala wrote this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Ayala and his team said increased contact between primates and humans, mostly because of logging and deforestation, increases the risk of parasites being transmitted to humans and further endangers ape populations by spreading diseases to them.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola
Haiti faces heightened malaria risk: global rankingParis (AFP) Jan 19, 2010 Already at high risk for malaria, Haiti faces an even greater likelihood that the disease will spread after the January 12 quake that killed at least 70,000, according to an assessment obtained on Tuesday by AFP. "It is highly probable that the prevalence of malaria will increase in the wake of the disaster," said Fiona Place, a researcher at British risk analysis specialists Maplecroft and ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook