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Updated: May 21, 2026

Generation of Human Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells from Whole Blood
Published on: December 24, 2016
Dendritic cells: the Trojan horse of malaria?
Michelle N Wykes1, Joshua Horne-Debets
1The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, The Bancroft Centre, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia. Michelle.Wykes@qimr.edu.au
Abstract:
Malaria, caused by Plasmodium spp., is responsible for over 200 million infections worldwide and 650,000 deaths annually. Until recently, it was thought that blood-stage parasites survived and replicated in hepatocytes and red blood cells exclusively. We recently showed that blood-stage parasites could infect, survive and replicate within plasmacytoid dendritic cells of the spleen and that these cells could release infective parasites. Here we discuss the implications of this novel niche in the spleen.
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