▁humans , ▁including ▁also ▁Pl as mod ium ▁fal ci par um ▁and ▁Pl as mod ium ▁viv ax , ▁responsible ▁for ▁most ▁mal arial ▁in fection . ▁ ▁Found ▁world wide , ▁it ▁causes ▁a ▁so - called ▁" ben ign ▁mal aria ", ▁not ▁nearly ▁as ▁dangerous ▁as ▁that ▁produced ▁by ▁P . ▁fal ci par um ▁or ▁P . ▁viv ax . ▁The ▁signs ▁include ▁fe vers ▁that ▁rec ur ▁at ▁approximately ▁three - day ▁intervals ▁– ▁a ▁quart an ▁fe ver ▁or ▁quart an ▁mal aria ▁– ▁longer ▁than ▁the ▁two - day ▁( ter t ian ) ▁intervals ▁of ▁the ▁other ▁mal arial ▁par as ites . ▁ ▁History ▁Mal aria ▁has ▁been ▁recognized ▁since ▁the ▁Greek ▁and ▁Roman ▁civil izations ▁over ▁ 2 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago , ▁with ▁different ▁patterns ▁of ▁fe ver ▁described ▁by ▁the ▁early ▁Gree ks . ▁In ▁ 1 8 8 0 , ▁Al phon se ▁La ver an ▁discovered ▁that ▁the ▁caus ative ▁agent ▁of ▁mal aria ▁is ▁a ▁par as ite . ▁D etailed ▁work ▁of ▁Gol gi ▁in ▁ 1 8 8 6 ▁demonstrated ▁that ▁in ▁some ▁patients ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁relationship ▁between ▁the ▁ 7 2 - hour ▁life ▁cycle ▁of ▁the ▁par as ite ▁and ▁the ▁ch ill ▁and ▁fe ver ▁patterns ▁in ▁the ▁patient . ▁The ▁same ▁observation ▁was ▁found ▁for ▁par as ites ▁with ▁ 4 8 - hour ▁cycles . ▁Gol gi ▁concluded ▁that ▁there ▁must ▁be ▁more ▁than ▁one ▁species ▁of