Plasmodium ovalecurtisi

Plasmodium ovalecurtisi is a species of parasitic protozoa that causes tertian malaria in humans. The species was described in 2010 when it was established that the two species of Plasmodium ovale, while morphologically identical are genetically distinct.^[1]'. Originally given the trinomial name Plasmodium ovale curtisi, following further evidence for its distinct species status it was assigned the appropriate binomial nomenclature in 2024 '^[2]

Plasmodium ovalecurtisi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	Sar
Clade:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Apicomplexa
Class:	Aconoidasida
Order:	Haemospororida
Family:	Plasmodiidae
Genus:	Plasmodium
Species:	P. ovalecurtisi
Binomial name
Plasmodium ovalecurtisi Snounou et al., 2024

Epidemiology

P. ovalecurtisi has been identified in Ghana, Myanmar, Nigeria, São Tomé, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

Clinical features

Clinical features for P. ovalecurtisi are described in the article on Plasmodium ovale.

Phylogenetics

This species separated from its closest known relative, Plasmodium ovalewallikeri, between 1.0 and 3.5 million years ago.