The parasite

The malaria parasite is one of our most pernicious enemies, evading the immune system and rapidly acquiring resistance to the drugs designed to kill it. Explore research into the parasite genes, which make it so deadly, and into the latest drugs designed to combat the parasite's threat.

News

	Scientists reveal how malaria parasites outwit our immune systems Malaria parasites can disguise themselves to avoid the host's immune system, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and published today. 01/12/09

	Malaria parasites resistant to artemisinin-based drugs Malaria parasites in western Cambodia have become resistant to the first-line treatment for malaria, according to a study published today. 30/07/09

	Wellcome Trust leads parasitology research, analysis shows The Wellcome Trust’s influence in the world of parasitology research has been highlighted in an analysis of specialist publications. 10/07/09

	Genome of a monkey-human malaria parasite reveals surprises Researchers have decoded the genome of a malaria parasite that has a host range from monkeys to man. Identified originally in monkeys, the Plasmodium knowlesi parasite was first reported in a human infection just over 40 years ago. 09/10/08

	Discovery of key malaria proteins could mean sticky end for parasite Scientists funded by the Wellcome Trust have identified a key mechanism that enables malaria-infected red blood cells to stick to the walls of blood vessels and avoid being destroyed by the body's immune system. 10/07/08

	Malaria parasites adjust sex ratio to help disease spread Malaria parasites ensure the successful spread of the disease by being able to produce more sons than daughters when conditions are difficult. 29/05/08

	International computing grid searches for malaria drugs Physicists in the UK have shared their computers with biologists from countries including France and Korea in an effort to combat malaria. 02/02/07

	In sequence: Plasmodium clinical isolate The first full sequencing of a clinical isolate of Plasmodium falciparum reveals potential targets for future antimalarial treatments. 01/02/07

	'Sheddase' helps the malaria parasite invade red blood cells Researchers have identified an enzyme crucial to the malaria parasite's invasion of red blood cells, according to a study in the open-access journal, PLoS Pathogens. 24/11/05

	Researchers unmask malaria parasite's cloaking mechanism Scientists are making strides in understanding how the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum disguises itself to avoid detection by the immune system. 25/04/05

	Signal identified that enables malarial parasites to target blood cells Researchers have identified a molecular signal that allows malarial parasites to release virulence proteins inside human red blood cells. 10/12/04

	Understanding how the malaria parasite resists chloroquine Scientists at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have made a major breakthrough in discovering why the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has become resistant to chloroquine, one of the most successful drugs ever used to treat the disease. 23/09/04

	Inadequate vaccines can help breed more vicious malaria strains Vaccination programmes could create conditions that promote the evolution of virulent strains of malaria, according to a laboratory-based study of the malarial parasite Plasmodium in mice. 23/06/04

	Scientists develop artesunate-lapdap combination drug Scientists at the University of Liverpool are developing a second-generation antimalarial drug to address the high mortality rate from Plasmodium falciparum malaria - which kills one to two million people every year. 23/04/04

	Lapdap developed through public-private collaboration Liverpool scientists develop pioneering antimalarial drug. 06/08/03