Genetic aspects of malaria parasite infection and the host immune response in relation to parasite evasion.

In relation to problems found up to now for the development of vaccines against malaria, recent studies have pointed out the different strategies evolved by the parasites to evade the host immune response. They include antigenic variation, antigenic polymorphism, antigenic mimicry and direct interference with the generation of the host immune response. These different mechanisms are rapidly reviewed and discussed with the aim of focusing the actual orientation of basic and applied research which has been developed to overcome these difficulties.