1. The private life of malaria parasites: Strategies for sexual reproduction.
- Author
-
Schneider P and Reece SE
- Subjects
- Animals, Biological Coevolution, Culicidae parasitology, Erythrocytes parasitology, Female, Host-Parasite Interactions genetics, Humans, Insect Vectors parasitology, Liver parasitology, Malaria transmission, Male, Plasmodium berghei genetics, Plasmodium berghei metabolism, Plasmodium chabaudi genetics, Plasmodium chabaudi metabolism, Plasmodium falciparum genetics, Plasmodium falciparum metabolism, Plasmodium knowlesi genetics, Plasmodium knowlesi metabolism, Reproduction, Asexual, Sex Ratio, Gametogenesis, Life Cycle Stages genetics, Malaria parasitology, Plasmodium berghei growth & development, Plasmodium chabaudi growth & development, Plasmodium falciparum growth & development, Plasmodium knowlesi growth & development
- Abstract
Malaria parasites exhibit a complex lifecycle, requiring extensive asexual replication in the liver and blood of the vertebrate host, and in the haemocoel of the insect vector. Yet, they must also undergo a single round of sexual reproduction, which occurs in the vector's midgut upon uptake of a blood meal. Sexual reproduction is obligate for infection of the vector and thus, is essential for onwards transmission to new hosts. Sex in malaria parasites involves several bottlenecks in parasite number, making the stages involved attractive targets for blocking disease transmission. Malaria parasites have evolved a suite of adaptations ("strategies") to maximise the success of sexual reproduction and transmission, which could undermine transmission-blocking interventions. Yet, understanding parasite strategies may also reveal novel opportunities for such interventions. Here, we outline how evolutionary and ecological theories, developed to explain reproductive strategies in multicellular taxa, can be applied to explain two reproductive strategies (conversion rate and sex ratio) expressed by malaria parasites within the vertebrate host., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2021
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