Potato Blight, Malaria Parasite Share Evolutionary Origin, Study Says

Malaria might share a common evolutionary origin with potato blight, a finding that could aid in the development of a malaria vaccine, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of Nature, London's Times reports.

For the study, researchers from the Scottish Crop Research Institute in Dundee, Scotland, and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, used high-resolution optical imaging to examine for the first time how malaria parasites interact with cells from the human immune system (Reid, Times, 11/5). The teams found the parasite that caused the Irish potato famine in 1845 and the malaria parasite use an identical mechanism to "overpower" cells and spread infection, the Daily Mirror reports (Daily Mirror, 11/5).

According to the researchers, the invading cells surround the healthy cells, almost "sizing them up," the Times reports. Researchers said the next challenge is to identify ways to coax healthy cells into uniting and fighting invader cells. "If we can block the mechanism, we could stop late blight from happening, and it could stop malaria in its tracks," Stephen Whisson of SCRI said (Times, 11/5).


The study is available online.