Their hypothesis: If bonobos carry a form of P. falciparum that is so similar to what humans carry, those parasites may still be passing back and forth between bonobos and us. In other words, falciparum malaria may be zoonotic—in the strict sense of the word, not just the loose sense. Humans in the forests of DRC might be infected on a regular basis with P. falciparum from the blood of bonobos, and vice versa. Their caveat: If that’s so, the great dream of malaria eradication becomes even less attainable.
