Molecular approaches to epidemiology and clinical aspects of malaria

Malaria is a problem of global importance, responsible for 1-2 million deat hs per year, mainly in African children, as well as considerable morbidity manifested as severe anaemia and encephalopathy in young children. Fundamen tal to the development of new tools for malaria control in humans is an inc reased understanding of key features of malaria infection, such as the dive rsity of outcome in different individuals, the understanding of different m anifestations of the disease and of the mechanisms of immunity that allow c linical protection in the face of ongoing low-grade infection (concomitant immunity or premunition). Here, Graham Brown and colleagues review some of the ways in which molecular approaches might be used to increase our unders tanding of the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of malaria, as disc ussed at the Molecular Approaches to Malaria conference (MAM2000), Lorne, A ustralia, 2-5 February 2000.