Malaria: endless fascination with merozoite release.
The erythrocytic asexual reproduction cycle of Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal malaria parasite in humans, starts with the invasion of a red blood cell by a merozoite and ends with the release of up to 32 new copies of itself in about 48 hours. A new study reveals that merozoite release is an explosive event ensuring the dispersal of these non-motile parasites for optimal re-invasion of new red cells.
Lew
Virgilio L
VL
Department of Physiology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000502:physiology*; D012100:Reproduction, Asexual / Q000502:physiology; D034101:Sporozoites / Q000502:physiology*