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Review
. 2015 Apr;1342(1):37-43.
doi: 10.1111/nyas.12661. Epub 2015 Feb 18.

The innate and adaptive response to mosquito saliva and Plasmodium sporozoites in the skin

Christine S Hopp  1 , Photini Sinnis
Affiliations
Review

The innate and adaptive response to mosquito saliva and Plasmodium sporozoites in the skin

Christine S Hopp et al. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

A malaria infection begins when an infected mosquito takes a blood meal and inoculates parasites into the skin of its mammalian host. The parasite then has to exit the skin and escape the immune cells that protect the body from infection and alert the system to intruding pathogens. It has become apparent that this earliest stage of infection is amenable to vaccine interventions. Here, we discuss how the innate and adaptive host response to both mosquito saliva and the parasite may interfere with the infection, as well as possible mechanisms the parasite might use to circumvent the host defense.

Keywords: dermal immune system; human adaptive immunity; human innate immunity; malaria; mosquito saliva; rodent malaria model; sporozoite.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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