About 40 researchers sequenced the genetic code of Plasmodium vivax, one of four malaria parasites responsible for nearly 40% of the approximate half a billion annual malaria infections that occur worldwide.

The team of researchers, led by Jane Carlton, PhD, a parasitologist from NYU Langone Medical Center, unraveled the genetic structure of the malaria-causing parasite, one of four species of malarial parasite that frequently infect humans. They identified only 150 genes specific to Plasmodium vivax, according to the Oct. 9 issue of the journal Nature. 

The authors of the study mentioned that the importance of research into this form of malaria has been taken too lightly, despite the fact that Plasmodium vivax leads to an estimated 300 million cases of the infectious disease in populous countries like India and Papua New Guinea.

Malaria parasites are transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. The multiplication of parasites within red blood cells causes symptoms of anemia, nausea, fever, flu-like illness, and in severe cases, leads to coma and death. Contracting the disease can be prevented by using mosquito nets and insect repellent, as well as through mosquito control measures such as spraying insecticides inside houses and draining eliminating water where mosquitoes reproduce.

Mapping the genomes of P. vivax "it's going to be a very powerful tool," said lead researcher Carlton.

Vivax malaria is so devastating that those who become infected with the parasite, most of whom are deprived, are not able to support themselves or their family members. "Vivax is one of the stealth reasons that poor people can't escape poverty," according to Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute at George Washington University and an expert in tropical diseases.