Malaria Is a Parasitic Disease, Not a Microbe

Clarifying the Etiology

Malaria is not a microbe (bacterium, virus, or fungus). It is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium (phylum Apicomplexa).

Five species infect humans: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, P. knowlesi. They are single-celled eukaryotes with complex life cycles involving mosquito vectors and human hosts.