PIMMS43 is required for malaria parasite immune evasion and sporogonic development in the mosquito vector
Reference:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Mar 12. pii: 201919709
After being ingested by a female Anopheles mosquito during a bloodmeal on an infected host, and before they can reach the mosquito salivary glands to be transmitted to a new host, Plasmodium parasites must establish an infection of the mosquito midgut in the form of oocysts. To achieve this, they must first survive a series of robust innate immune responses that take place prior to, during, and immediately after ookinete traversal of the midgut epithelium. Understanding how parasites may evade these responses could highlight new ways to block malaria transmission.