[SEVERE FORMS OF TROPICAL MALARIA: MOLECULAR GENETIC FEATURES OF THE COURSE OF THE INFECTION (REVIEW)]

The article overviews some issues of the severe course of tropical malaria. In addition to the analysis of the ongoing situation with malaria in Russia, a general clinical picture of the severe course of tropical malaria is discussed. The main part of the overview includes a detailed analysis of current data on the molecular genetic aspects of the erythrocytes' adhesion in the case of tropical malaria. The main elements involved in the process of binding red blood cells and, as a result, in the process of their adhesion to other cells of the human body were considered in detail. Data were studied and summarized not only on protein interactions between an infected red cell and its cellular environment, but also on the genetic characteristics of the parasite leading to similar molecular-biological processes. In addition to the study of protein PfEMP1 role which is nowadays well-considered in the literature, the most up-to-date but less reported data on erythrocyte adhesion proteins STEVOR and RIFIN were also included. The team of authors hopes that this publication will help to get a deeper insight into the problem of erythrocyte adhesion in the course of complicated malaria infection forms and to summarize some of the available data on this issue.