Abstract：
A critical part of the malaria parasite\'s life cycle is invasion of red blood cells (RBCs) by merozoites. Inside RBCs, the parasite forms a schizont, which undergoes segmentation to produce daughter merozoites. These cells are released, establishing cycles of invasion. Traditionally, merozoites are represented as nonmotile, egg-shaped cells that invade RBCs \'narrower end\' first and pack within schizonts with this narrower end facing outwards. Here, we discuss recent evidence and re-evaluate previous data which suggest that merozoites are capable of motility and have spherical or elongated-teardrop shapes. Furthermore, merozoites invade RBCs \'wider end\' first and pack within schizonts with this wider end facing outwards. We encourage the field to review this revised model and consider its implications for future studies.
摘要：
疟疾寄生虫生命周期的一个关键部分是裂殖子侵入红细胞（RBC）。在红细胞内部，寄生虫形成裂殖体，经过分割产生子裂殖子。这些细胞被释放，建立入侵周期。传统上,裂殖子被表示为不运动，卵形细胞，首先侵入红细胞“较窄端”，并在裂孔内堆积，该较窄端朝外。这里,我们讨论了最近的证据，并重新评估了以前的数据，这些数据表明裂殖子能够运动并具有球形或细长泪滴形。此外，裂殖子首先侵入红细胞“更宽的一端”，并在裂殖体中堆积，该更宽的一端朝外。我们鼓励该领域回顾这一修订后的模型，并考虑其对未来研究的影响。
