The Ten-Thousand Year Fever : Rethinking Human and Wild-Primate Malarias.

Malaria is one of the oldest serious infectious diseases in humans. Taming malaria, let alone eradicating it, continues to be a significant research challenge in the 21st century. This book provides a historical perspective on the disease. Anthropologist Cormier (Univ. of Alabama) has collected data from molecular biology, ethnoprimatology, epidemiology, ecology, and anthropology to reveal a dynamic interplay between the pathogen, human culture, and the environment. Deforestation and development have contributed to malaria's persistence because indigenous people and wild primates often exploit and share with mosquitoes forest space and water resources in the tropics. The author introduces the four major types of primate malarias, illustrating human and wild-primate cross infections. Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest of human malarias, provides new evolutionary insights. However, Plasmodium vixax malaria is believed to be much older than P. falciparum. The book explores the significance of various biological adaptations to malarial pathology. Other topics discussed include laboratory experimentation on rhesus monkeys and human experimentation on prisoners. Lastly, the book discusses the ways humans have altered the ecological landscapes to affect malaria's proliferation. This slim volume is an excellent model of interdisciplinary integration and is richly documented with an extensive list of references. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All students, faculty, and researchers in the field. S. M. Paracer Worcester State College