Scientists map genetic code of malaria parasite.

• Author: McGinn, Anne Platt
• Position: Environmental Intelligence - Brief Article

In October 2002, a group of international scientists announced that they had successfully mapped the genetic code of both the deadly malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, and the mosquito that transmits this parasite to people, Anopheles gambiae.

The genetic sequencing, a major breakthrough in the battle against malaria, will help scientists uncover vulnerabilities in the genetic make-up of the parasite and its vector. The research has already led to new insights into how malaria works. Compared to other microbes, for example, it appears that a large share of the parasite's genes are dedicated to evading human immunity.

Genome scientists said the malaria parasite was the toughest sequencing job they have ever taken on. The complex parasite has a multi-stage lifecycle that includes an asexual form that thrives in human red blood cells and a sexual stage that develops in the mosquito vector. To decode A. gambiae, researchers sequenced...