The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum replicates within an intraerythrocytic parasitophorous vacuole (PV). Rupture of the host cell allows release (egress) of daughter merozoites, which invade fresh erythrocytes. We previously showed that a subtilisin-like protease called PfSUB1 regulates egress by being discharged into the PV in the final stages of merozoite development to proteolytically...

Immunity against blood stage Plasmodium falciparum malaria can be passively transferred with immune gamma globulin (1), and protective antibodies appear to act against the merozoite form of the parasite (2). For vaccine development, therefore, it is important to identify and characterize the surface antigens of merozoites against which protective antibodies may be directed. We have reported the...

the emergence of plasmodium vivax in dashte moghan in northwestern iran has become a major concern for iranian's health officials. knowledge of genetic make up of the p. vivax populations in this area would give us an insight into the origin of the prevalent infections and the possible routes they are introduced. this paper reports the analysis of a variable region between the two interspecies ...

Invasion of erythrocytes by the malarial parasite is a receptor-mediated process. P. falciparum merozoites recognize and bind to erythrocyte surface sialoglycoproteins, glycophorins A and B, and the glycophorins bind to saturable sites on the merozoite surface. The purpose of the present work was to identify a receptor or ligand molecule on the merozoite surface that mediates binding to the ery...

Oral immunization of mice with Escherichia coli-expressed Plasmodium yoelii merozoite surface protein 4/5 or the C-terminal 19-kDa fragment of merozoite surface protein 1 induced systemic antibody responses and protected mice against lethal malaria infection. A combination of these two proteins administered orally conferred improved protection compared to that conferred by either protein admini...

A recent clinical trial in African children demonstrated the potential utility of merozoite surface protein (MSP)-3 as a vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The present study evaluated the use of Plasmodium vivax MSP-3 (PvMSP-3) as a target antigen in vaccine formulations against malaria caused by P. vivax. Recombinant proteins representing MSP-3α and MSP-3β of P. vivax were expresse...

This study investigated the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum among asymptomatic pregnant women on intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-Sp) in Osogbo, southwest Nigeria. Blood sample was obtained from consenting attending antenatal clinics. Microscopy and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were employed to diagnose analyse diversity. Of 301 samples, 53 (1...

Targeted gene disruption has proved to be a powerful approach for studying the function of important ligands involved in erythrocyte invasion by the extracellular merozoite form of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Merozoite invasion proceeds via a number of seemingly independent alternate pathways, such that entry can proceed with parasites lacking particular ligand-receptor i...

Babesiosis is a tick-borne hemoparasitic disease affecting horses worldwide. To investigate mechanisms of immunity to this parasite, the antibody response of infected horses to Babesia equi merozoite proteins was evaluated. Immunoprecipitation of B. equi merozoite antigens with sera from infected horses revealed 11 major proteins of 210, 144, 108, 88, 70, 56, 44, 36, 34, 28, and 25 kDa. Monoclo...