Malaria, Immunity, and Immunopathology

Malaria is a disease spread by mosquitoes, and it is a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. Most of the deaths in malaria are caused by the Apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Immunity against the disease is dependent on repeated exposure, and it usually takes several years to develop. Antibodies against different antigens are an important part of immunity, but cellular immunity has also been shown to be of importance. There is no licensed vaccine against malaria, and one of the reasons for this is that knowledge about how immunity is developed is still lacking. In this article, we go through the different stages of the life cycle of the parasite and explain what is known about immunity against different antigens from the preerythrocytic and erythrocytic stages. We also mention different host factors, which can affect the outcome of malaria.