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One hypothesis suggested that they had evolved from a common strain over millions of years in their respective host species.
Another theory held that the parasite first emerged in humans and was transmitted to chimpanzees, where it gradually evolved into a separate strain.
But the authors of the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, examined a third possibility, using samples taken from wild and wild-born chimpanzees in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast.
They identified several new parasites among the chimpanzees they sampled, indicating that the malaria parasite first jumped from chimpanzees to humans.
The study, led by Francisco Ayala of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine, suggests the malaria strain probably jumped species in "a single host transfer."
The leap could have happened as early as two to three million years ago, or as recently as 10,000 years ago, in a process similar to the way the AIDS and SARS viruses jumped from animals to humans, the study said.
"Today, human encroachment into the last forest habitats has further extended, leading to a higher risk of transfer of new pathogens, including new malaria parasites," the authors warn.
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Another theory held that the parasite first emerged in humans and was transmitted to chimpanzees, where it gradually evolved into a separate strain.
But the authors of the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, examined a third possibility, using samples taken from wild and wild-born chimpanzees in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast.
They identified several new parasites among the chimpanzees they sampled, indicating that the malaria parasite first jumped from chimpanzees to humans.
The study, led by Francisco Ayala of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine, suggests the malaria strain probably jumped species in "a single host transfer."
The leap could have happened as early as two to three million years ago, or as recently as 10,000 years ago, in a process similar to the way the AIDS and SARS viruses jumped from animals to humans, the study said.
"Today, human encroachment into the last forest habitats has further extended, leading to a higher risk of transfer of new pathogens, including new malaria parasites," the authors warn.
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