Cerebral malaria and developmental biology: making parasites grow-up

Erythrocytes infected with the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum, in the final stages of asexual development, sequester and adhere to the linin g of capillaries in the brain; killing 1-3 million (mostly children under t he age of 5) each year. I will argue here that the rapidly evolving tools o f developmental biology be employed to find a way of inducing gametocytogen esis, thereby making the parasite 'grow-up' prematurely and in large number s alleviating the severe symptoms in the brain. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publisher s Ltd.