Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination.
Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, despite decades of public health efforts. The recent commitment by many endemic countries to eliminate malaria marks a shift away from programs aimed at controlling disease burden towards one that emphasizes reducing transmission of the m...
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2015-06-01
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doaj-8b79af5b52dd416ca307ccc3a0339aa52020-11-25T01:34:04ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Pathogens1553-73661553-73742015-06-01116e100487110.1371/journal.ppat.1004871Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination.Sandra K NilssonLauren M ChildsCaroline BuckeeMatthias MartiMalaria remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, despite decades of public health efforts. The recent commitment by many endemic countries to eliminate malaria marks a shift away from programs aimed at controlling disease burden towards one that emphasizes reducing transmission of the most virulent human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Gametocytes, the only developmental stage of malaria parasites able to infect mosquitoes, have remained understudied, as they occur in low numbers, do not cause disease, and are difficult to detect in vivo by conventional methods. Here, we review the transmission biology of P. falciparum gametocytes, featuring important recent discoveries of genes affecting parasite commitment to gametocyte formation, microvesicles enabling parasites to communicate with each other, and the anatomical site where immature gametocytes develop. We propose potential parasite targets for future intervention and highlight remaining knowledge gaps.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4472755?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sandra K Nilsson Lauren M Childs Caroline Buckee Matthias Marti |
spellingShingle |
Sandra K Nilsson Lauren M Childs Caroline Buckee Matthias Marti Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination. PLoS Pathogens |
author_facet |
Sandra K Nilsson Lauren M Childs Caroline Buckee Matthias Marti |
author_sort |
Sandra K Nilsson |
title |
Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination. |
title_short |
Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination. |
title_full |
Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination. |
title_fullStr |
Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Targeting Human Transmission Biology for Malaria Elimination. |
title_sort |
targeting human transmission biology for malaria elimination. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS Pathogens |
issn |
1553-7366 1553-7374 |
publishDate |
2015-06-01 |
description |
Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, despite decades of public health efforts. The recent commitment by many endemic countries to eliminate malaria marks a shift away from programs aimed at controlling disease burden towards one that emphasizes reducing transmission of the most virulent human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Gametocytes, the only developmental stage of malaria parasites able to infect mosquitoes, have remained understudied, as they occur in low numbers, do not cause disease, and are difficult to detect in vivo by conventional methods. Here, we review the transmission biology of P. falciparum gametocytes, featuring important recent discoveries of genes affecting parasite commitment to gametocyte formation, microvesicles enabling parasites to communicate with each other, and the anatomical site where immature gametocytes develop. We propose potential parasite targets for future intervention and highlight remaining knowledge gaps. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4472755?pdf=render |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT sandraknilsson targetinghumantransmissionbiologyformalariaelimination AT laurenmchilds targetinghumantransmissionbiologyformalariaelimination AT carolinebuckee targetinghumantransmissionbiologyformalariaelimination AT matthiasmarti targetinghumantransmissionbiologyformalariaelimination |
_version_ |
1725073917965500416 |