Malaria articles from across Nature Portfolio

Most compounds active against asexual blood stage malaria parasites show reduced activity against gametocytes. Here the authors directly compare asexual and gametocytocidal activity of 80 compounds and identify physicochemical properties that influence dual activity.

A conserved Plasmodium protein, specific to the liver stage and localized in the nucleus of liver stage schizonts, plays a critical role in liver stage development and differentiation.

The development worries researchers because children are particularly vulnerable to the disease.

In a setting of low malaria transmission, preventive interventions that target human and mosquito parasite reservoirs located near malaria cases reduced malaria among non-recipients up to 3 km away. Accounting for these ‘spillover effects’ reveals a higher population-level health benefit, and increased cost-effectiveness compared with previous analyses.

Strategies for public engagement need to be rigorously tested around the world to maximize the potential of immunization.