<unk>  is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of<unk>  species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a vertebrate host during a blood meal. Parasites grow within a vertebrate body tissue (often the liver) before entering the bloodstream to infect red blood cells. The ensuing destruction of host red blood cells can result in malaria. During this infection, some parasites are picked up by a blood-feeding insect (mosquitoes in majority cases), continuing the life cycle.<unk>  is a member of the phylum Apicomplexa, a large group of parasitic eukaryotes. Within Apicomplexa,<unk>  is in the order Haemosporida and family Plasmodiidae. Over 200 species of<unk>  have been described, many of which have been subdivided into 14 subgenera based on parasite morphology and host range. Evolutionary relationships among different<unk>  species do not always follow taxonomic boundaries; some species that are morphologically similar or infect the same host turn out to be distantly related. Species of<unk>  are distributed globally wherever suitable hosts are found. Insect hosts are most frequently mosquitoes of the genera Culex and Anopheles. Vertebrate hosts include reptiles, birds, and mammals.<unk>  parasites were first identified in the late 19th century by Charles Laveran. Over the course of the 20th century, many other species were discovered in various hosts and classified, including five species that regularly infect humans: P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi. P. falciparum is by far the most lethal in humans, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths per year. A number of drugs have been developed to treat<unk>  infection; however, the parasites have evolved resistance to each drug developed. Although the parasite can also infect people via blood transfusion, this is very rare, and<unk>  cannot be spread from person to person.
Plasmodium
Leishmania
Borrelia
Cryptosporidium
Trypanosoma
Toxoplasma gondii
Cheyletiella
Zika virus