Sequencing of the malarial parasite genome reveals potential drug targets to combat malaria

摘要

Malaria remains a serious endemic disease in more than I00 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and South America. Almost forty per cent of the world population is at the risk of malarial infection. Each year, 100 million people experience malarial illness and there are reports of 1-2 million deaths per year. The mortality rate is between 20 and 50 percent in patients with severe and complicated disease. Human malaria is caused by any of the four protozoan species of the genus Plaxmodium, viz. P. vivax, P. falciparum P. ovale and P. malariae. P. vivax is responsible for the majority of malaria cases worldwide, and P. falciparum, which is susceptible to chloroquine, causes the majority of malaria-related fatalities The problem of choloroquine resistance in P. falciparum is increasing in intensity and has spread to almost all P. falciparum-infested areas.