Genomics Research and Malaria Control: Great Expectations

PLoS Biology | http://biology.plosjournals.org The protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum causes falciparum malaria, a fatal parasitic disease in humans, and is transmitted by Anopheles mosquito vectors (predominantly the Anopheles gambiae complex and An. funestus in Africa). There are about 300 million malaria cases and 1–2 million deaths annually, the brunt of which are borne mostly in Africa by children under 5 years of age and by pregnant women. In many African countries, malaria poses a formidable challenge to an overburdened and underfunded public health system. The current malarial control strategies consist of chemotherapy directed against the malaria parasite and prevention of mosquito vector/human contact using insecticide-impregnated bednets and, to a lesser extent, indoor residual insecticide spraying and environmental control for reducing mosquito breeding sites. There are still no malaria vaccines in clinical practice.