Why is malaria fever periodic? A hypothesis.
For poorly understood reasons, malaria parasites tend to develop in synchrony with each other in the asexual erythrocytic phase of infection, and this synchronization determines the periodic nature of malaria fever. There is evidence to suggest that fever might help to protect the host, while synchronization might provide counter-protection for the parasite. Dominic Kwiatkowski and Brian Greenwood propose that malaria fever may be of mutual benefit for parasite and host.
Dominic Kwiatkowski and Brian M. Greenwood are at the Medical Research Council Laboratories, Fajaro, The Gambia.
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