Molecular strategies to study Plasmodium-mosquito interactions

Abstract

It is widely known that malaria kills millions of people every year. Less well recognized is the fact that the situation is steadily deteriorating for a lack of effective means to counter the disease. An essential first step towards the development of new approaches to fight malaria is a thorough understanding of the mechanisms that direct parasite growth and differentiation, including parasite-host interactions. This article reviews recent achievements and introduces some promising new technologies and approaches for studying host-parasite interactions.