Abstract
The protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum causes falciparum malaria, a fatal parasitic disease in humans, and is transmitted by Anopheles mosquito vectors (predominantly the Anopheles gambiae complex and An. funestus in Africa). There are about 300 million malaria cases and 1–2 million deaths annually, the brunt of which are borne mostly in Africa by children under 5 years of age and by pregnant women. In many African countries, malaria poses a formidable challenge to an overburdened and underfunded public health system. The current malarial control strategies consist of chemotherapy directed against the malaria parasite and prevention of mosquito vector/human contact using insecticide-impregnated bednets and, to a lesser extent, indoor residual insecticide spraying and environmental control for reducing mosquito breeding sites. There are still no malaria vaccines in clinical practice.
Highlights
The protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum causes falciparum malaria, a fatal parasitic disease in humans, and is transmitted by Anopheles mosquito vectors
The public health problem due to malaria is exacerbated by the emergence of drug-resistant parasites and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes
The unraveling of the genomes of humans, P. falciparum, and An. gambiae has ushered in a new era of hope that genomics research will result in the development of new and better tools for malaria control
Summary
PLoS Biology | http://biology.plosjournals.org to target disease) is used for both treatment and prevention. (CQ) is a cheap and widely used aminoquinoline, but CQ-resistant parasites have become ubiquitous in endemic countries and other drugs are used much more frequently (Ridley 2002). The public health problem due to malaria is exacerbated by the emergence of drug-resistant parasites and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes. The clinical application of efficacious intervention tools is an urgent imperative for malarial control. This brings into sharp focus the importance of genomics research for drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, and insecticides. The unraveling of the genomes of humans, P. falciparum, and An. gambiae has ushered in a new era of hope that genomics research will result in the development of new and better tools for malaria control
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