title: Protozoan parasites: programmed cell death as a mechanism of parasitism.
abstract: Programmed cell death (PCD) is a potent mechanism to remove parasitized cells, but it has also been shown that protozoan parasites can induce or inhibit apoptosis in host cells. In recent years, it has become clear that unicellular parasites can also undergo PCD, meaning that they commit suicide in response to various stimuli. This review focuses on the role of protozoan PCD and on the interaction between protozoan parasites and the host cell death machinery from the perspective of parasite survival strategies.
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany. bruchhaus@bni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bruchhaus
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roeder
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rennenberg
authors.forename: Volker T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Heussler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*