Open AccessChronicle of a death foretold: P lasmodium liver stage parasites decide on the fate of the host cell
Author(s) -
Graewe Stefanie,
Stanway Rebecca R.,
Rennenberg Annika,
Heussler Volker T.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems microbiology reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.91
H-Index - 212
eISSN - 1574-6976
pISSN - 0168-6445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00297.x
Subject(s) - biology , plasmodium (life cycle) , malaria , parasite hosting , host (biology) , zoology , evolutionary biology , immunology , virology , ecology , world wide web , computer science
Protozoan parasites of the genus P lasmodium are the causative agents of malaria. Despite more than 100 years of research, the complex life cycle of the parasite still bears many surprises and it is safe to say that understanding the biology of the pathogen will keep scientists busy for many years to come. Malaria research has mainly concentrated on the pathological blood stage of P lasmodium parasites, leaving us with many questions concerning parasite development within the mosquito and during the exo‐erythrocytic stage in the vertebrate host. After the discovery of the P lasmodium liver stage in the middle of the last century, it remained understudied for many years but the realization that it represents a promising target for vaccination approaches has brought it back into focus. The last decade saw many new and exciting discoveries concerning the exo‐erythrocytic stage and in this review we will discuss the highlights of the latest developments in the field.