Plasmodium falciparum is not as lonely as previously considered

Until very recently, only one species (P. reichenowi) was known to be a phylogenetic sister lineage of P. falciparum, the main malignant agent of human malaria. In 2009 and 2010, new studies have revealed the existence of several new phylogenetic species related to this deadly parasite and infecting chimpanzees and gorillas in Africa. These discoveries invite us to explore a whole set of new questions, which we briefly do in this article.