The immunology of malaria--a view from the bush

During the past few years a great deal has been learnt about malaria parasites and the immune responses that they evoke in their hosts. However, this new knowledge has so far had little impact on the practical problems of malaria control in tropical developing countries where malaria is still responsible for much mortality and morbidity. In Africa the malaria situation is now more serious than it was 20 years ago. Exciting new developments in molecular biology suggest that this situation may change in a few years time but attempts should be made to put the advances that have been made to the best practical use as soon as possible rather than delaying until even better technologies have been developed. This approach will require close collaboration between immunologists in sophisticated laboratories in industrialised countries and smaller laboratories in the countries of the developing world where malaria is still a major problem.