IMMUNOLOGY, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, AND TREATMENT OF MALARIA

In 1990, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 2 billion people live in areas where malaria transmission occurs, and that 270 million people develop new malaria infections each year. Malaria constitutes a threat not only to those living in endemic areas but to the millions of people who travel each year from malaria-free countries to zones of transmission. Most malaria research focuses on two of the four species of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, with emphasis on the former. In this review, we examine some of the developments in malaria research during 1990, including vaccine development, the mechanisms by which the parasite causes disease, and current opinions on drug therapy, including new drugs and drug resistance.