Parasite Strategy Cards
Antibody binding to the parasite can
spell the end of the road for the
parasite. Once antibodies bind
circumsporozoite protein (CSP) on
the outside of the parasite. However
the malaria‐causing parasite simply
sheds the outer protein layer like a
snake skin and moves on.
Less than TEN parasites getting to the
liver can cause a full blown case of
malaria.
With about 200,000,000,000 liver
cells, it’s very unlikely that immune
cells (CD8 T‐cells) will find infected
liver cells before the malaria‐causing
parasite divides and moves to the
symptomatic blood stage.
Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is a
protein found on the outside of the
parasite. This is the first protein that
the host immune system recognizes
and targets. However, by the time the
host immune system is finally
engaged, the malaria‐causing parasite
no longer has CSP on its surface and
the parasite is no longer in the liver.
The
malaria‐causing
parasite
evades the skin by taking
advantage of the “deeply” probing
mosquito proboscis to inject it past
this barrier.
When the malaria‐causing parasite
first enters the human as a
sporozoite (skin to liver stage) it can
cross through many cells types
including liver cells (hepatocytes),
immune cells, dermal cells, etc.
A full‐fledged immune response
takes about six days to develop all
of its protective elements. By this
time, the malaria‐causing parasite
is already making its way out of the
liver to the symptomatic blood
stage.
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Parasite Strategy Cards
Even within a geographic region,
different malaria parasites will have
slightly different protein shapes on
their
outside
surfaces.
These
proteins are encoded by small DNA
mutations. This means that even
“memory” against one parasite may
note be effective against the next
malaria infection.
The liver receives blood flow directly from
the gut. This blood contains all kind of
non‐harmful microbes and “gunk”. Your
liver has a less‐responsive immune system
to tolerate this “noise”.
The malaria‐causing parasite is able to
thrive in the liver, hiding from a “dumbed‐
down” immune system, among the
drifting molecules and microbes.
The malaria‐causing parasite exists
in many forms and shapes during
its lifetime in the host (in the skin,
blood and liver).
The
malaria‐causing
parasite
leaves the skin in about one
minute after seeking out and
entering a blood vessel
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