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How platelets attack the malaria parasite

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Platelets in our blood are able to attack the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, responsible for malaria. As can be seen in the upper figure, the platelet (to the right) joins the infected red blood cell (to the left) and kills the internal parasite. A paper published today in the journal Science reveals the keys to this defense mechanism. The platelet secretes a protein called PF4 that enters the red blood cell and, although they do not know how to do so, they have discovered that it is the protein that causes the death of the parasite. However, to enter the PF4 cell it is necessary that the red blood cell has a Duffy receptor, which many African populations do not have. However, according to the researchers, the PF4 protein and the Duffy receptor could be new weapons in the fight against malaria.