Malaria parasite can reawaken after years: New vaccine target may block liver infection
University of South Florida researchers have discovered a previously unknown vulnerability in Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax), a malaria parasite that infects millions of people in Central and South America and Southeast Asia.
Scientists at the University of South Florida have identified a previously unknown vulnerability in the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax). This discovery could lead to a new vaccine target that could block liver infection and prevent the parasite from establishing a dormant form that causes relapse infections months or even years later.
The study, published in Immunity, shows that antibodies targeting a specific site on the parasite's major surface protein, circumsporozoite protein (CSP), can inhibit P. vivax infection. This is the first new target for CSP in over 40 years, according to Noah Sather, a professor at the USF College of Public Health. The new site could prevent both disease and transmission, as around three-quarters of P. vivax transmissions actually come from relapse infections.
While a vaccine based on the discovery is still years away, the researchers believe this could be a powerful new tool against an understudied form of malaria.
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