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What is the evidence for the existence of Plasmodium ovale hypnozoites?

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Abstract

Relapsing human malaria is regarded to be caused by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale. P. vivax relapses originate from dormant liver stages: “hypnozoites”. Also, P. ovale, a species considered as closely related to P. vivax, is in analogy assumed to display hypnozoites. A close biologic relationship is, however, not supported by molecular genetic studies. Therefore, original literature published since the description of P. ovale in 1922 was systematically screened for the demonstration of hypnozoites or circumstantial evidence for their existence, i.e. the occurrence of true relapses. In P. ovale infection, hypnozoites have never been demonstrated by biological experiments, and the few reports published on relapses have conflicting results.

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Acknowledgements

This work is part of a medical thesis by Gabriele Franken. We are indebted to Professor em. Wallace Peters and Professor em. Hanns Martin Seitz for taking seriously our doubts on the hypnozoite concept in P. ovale infection and giving valuable advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tropical Medicine Unit, University Hospital for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Joachim Richter & Dieter Häussinger

  2. Institute for the History of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Gabriele Franken & Alfons Labisch

  3. Institute for Zoomorphology, Cellular Biology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Heinz Mehlhorn

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  1. Joachim Richter
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  2. Gabriele Franken
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  3. Heinz Mehlhorn
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  4. Alfons Labisch
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  5. Dieter Häussinger
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Correspondence to Joachim Richter.

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Richter, J., Franken, G., Mehlhorn, H. et al. What is the evidence for the existence of Plasmodium ovale hypnozoites?. Parasitol Res 107, 1285–1290 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2071-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2071-z

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