Rifins, rosetting, and red blood cells

Christian W Wang1, Lars Hviid1

  • 1Centre for Medical Parasitology at Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen and Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark.

The binding of multiple uninfected erythrocytes to a central malaria parasite-infected erythrocyte (IE) is called rosetting. Rosetting has been associated with severe disease, but its functional significance,and the host receptors and parasite ligands involved are only partially known. A recent study, which describes yet another piece in this already complex puzzle, provides a welcome boost and a broadening of an important malaria research field.

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