Laverania

Laverania is a subgenus of the parasite genus Plasmodium. Infection with these species results in malaria. The subgenus was first described in 1958.^[1]

Laverania
Macrogametocyte of Plasmodium falciparum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Sar
Clade:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Apicomplexa
Class:	Aconoidasida
Order:	Haemospororida
Family:	Plasmodiidae
Genus:	Plasmodium
Subgenus:	Laverania Bray, 1958
Species
See text

The name was first proposed by Welch in 1897 as a genus name for the group now known as Plasmodium but for a variety of reasons^[specify] the genus name Plasmodium was preferred.

Taxonomy

The first non-human primate parasites were described by Eduard Reichenow in Cameroon in 1920. He observed three morphologically distinct Plasmodium parasites in the blood of chimpanzees and gorillas in 1917.^[2] These finding were later confirmed by other workers.^[3][4] One species closely resembled P. falciparum and was thought to be the same species. This species was later renamed P. reichenowi.^[5]

The other two species — P. rhodaini and P. schwetzi — have since been placed in the subgenus Plasmodium.^{[citation needed]}

The noticeable differences between P. falciparum and the other known Plasmodium species led to the proposal that it be placed in a separate genus Laverania.^[1] This suggestion was not accepted but the proposed name is now used as the subgenus.^{[citation needed]}

Species

It has been proposed to rename P. gora and P. gorb as Plasmodium adleri and Plasmodium blacklocki respectively.^[6] It has also been proposed that P. billbrayi be considered a junior synonym of P. gaboni.^[6]

• Plasmodium billcollinsi
• Plasmodium billbrayi
• Plasmodium falciparum
• Plasmodium gaboni
• Plasmodium gora
• Plasmodium gorb
• Plasmodium reichenowi

The full genomes of the seven species are now sequenced^[7] and available on PlasmoDB.