Plasmodium yoelii as a model for malaria: insights into pathogenesis, drug resistance, and vaccine development

Malaria continues to pose a serious global health threat, with rising drug resistance making treatment more difficult. Consequently, Plasmodium yoelii, a rodent malaria parasite, has become an invaluable model for studying the malaria parasite's complex biology, particularly host-parasite interactions and drug resistance mechanisms. Originating from African rodents, P. yoelii presents unique genetic diversity, mirroring critical aspects of human malaria and allowing for detailed research on the parasite's pre-erythrocytic and erythrocytic stages. This review introduces a novel perspective by comprehensively examining P. yoelii from multiple angles, including its origin, genetic composition, and contributions to vaccine development and drug efficacy studies. It highlights the significance of P. yoelii, revealing new insights into immune evasion, pathogenesis, and disease severity, which are critical for developing future malaria interventions. Furthermore, this review addresses the challenges associated with P. yoelii as a model, such as differences in host immune responses between rodents and humans. Despite these hurdles, the research using P. yoelii offers promising directions for combating malaria. This novel synthesis of P. yoelii studies underscores its essential role in advancing malaria research, particularly in understanding drug resistance and uncovering potential therapeutic and vaccine targets.