Some strains of Plasmodium falciparum, a human malaria parasite, evade the complement-like system of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes

摘要

Human malaria, a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, threatens one-half of the world's population. In 2009, " malaria claimed the lives of 781,000 children, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa (1). This tragic disease is caused by the parasite Plasmodium, which is effectively transmitted by the mosquito A. gambiae in large areas of Africa. Mosquitoes become infected when they ingest blood from an infected human. The parasites then must undergo a complex developmental cycle in the mosquito to be transmitted to another person. Mosquitoes defend themselves against infections by Plasmodium by mounting an immune response that can greatly limit Plasmodium infection; however, it is not clear why disease transmission is so effective in highly endemic areas.