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Article: Patch clamp probes malaria parasite ... and peptides eliminate parasite hideouts. (malaria parasite research) (Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- May 22, 1993
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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During a malarial infection, parasites transmitted by the bite of Anopheles mosquitoes invade red blood cells, where they multiply and then burst forth to infect even more cells. As the parasite enters a red blood cell it forms a membrane through which it draws nutrients from the cell's cytoplasm.
Using patch clamping -- a technique for measuring the flow of charged particles, or ions, in and out of cells -- researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have taken a close look at this parasite's feeding habits. Their observations indicate that Plasmodium falciparum, the microbe responsible for the greatest number of human deaths from malaria, sprouts ...