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Science 7 January 2000:
Vol. 287. no. 5450, pp. 128 - 131
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5450.128
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Reports
Sex Determination in Malaria Parasites
Richard E. L. Paul,
1*
Timothy N. Coulson,
2
Anna Raibaud,
1
Paul T. Brey
1
A century ago, W. G. MacCallum identified distinct male and
female forms in malaria parasites of both birds and humans. Since then,
scientists have been puzzled by the high female-to-male ratios of
parasites in Plasmodium infections and by the mechanism of
sex determination. The sex ratio of malaria parasites was shown to
become progressively more male as conditions that allow motility and
subsequent fertilization by the male parasites become adverse. This
resulted from an increased immune response against male gametes, which
coincides with intense host erythropoietic activity. Natural and
artificial induction of erythropoiesis in vertebrate hosts provoked a
shift toward male parasite production. This change in parasite sex
ratio led to reduced reproductive success in the parasite, which
suggests that sex determination is adaptive and is regulated by the
hematologic state of the host.
1 Laboratoire de Biochimie et Biologie
Moléculaire des Insectes, Institut Pasteur, 25 Rue du Dr. Roux,
75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
2 Institute of
Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY,
United Kingdom.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
topotito{at}pasteur.fr
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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
- Activities of Amodiaquine, Artesunate, and Artesunate-Amodiaquine against Asexual- and Sexual-Stage Parasites in Falciparum Malaria in Children.
- A. Sowunmi, T. Balogun, G. O. Gbotosho, C. T. Happi, A. A. Adedeji, and F. A. Fehintola (2007)
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother.
51, 1694-1699
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- RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HOST INFECTIVITY TO MOSQUITOES AND ASEXUAL PARASITE DENSITY IN PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM..
- A. ROSS, G. KILLEEN, and T. SMITH (2006)
Am J Trop Med Hyg
75, 32-37
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- INFLUENCE OF CHEMOTHERAPY ON THE PLASMODIUM GAMETOCYTE SEX RATIO OF MICE AND HUMANS.
- A. M. TALMAN, R. E. L. PAUL, C. S. SOKHNA, O. DOMARLE, F. ARIEY, J.-F. TRAPE, and V. ROBERT (2004)
Am J Trop Med Hyg
71, 739-744
| Abstract »
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- Information constraints and the precision of adaptation: Sex ratio manipulation in wasps.
- D. M. Shuker and S. A. West (2004)
PNAS
101, 10363-10367
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