mSphere of Influence: an Army Marching on Its Stomach—Malaria Parasites Sense and Subvert Host Nutrition

Abstract

Clare Harding works on the metal biology of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii . In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how two papers from the laboratory of Maria Mota, “Host-mediated regulation of superinfection in malaria” by Portugal et al. (S). Clare Harding works on the metal biology of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii . In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how two papers from the laboratory of Maria Mota, “Host-mediated regulation of superinfection in malaria” by Portugal et al. (S. Portugal, C. Carret, M. Recker, A. E. Armitage, et al., Nat Med 17:732–737, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2368 ) and “Nutrient sensing modulates malaria parasite virulence” by Mancio-Silva et al. (L. Mancio-Silva, K. Slavic, M. T. Grilo Ruivo, A. R. Grosso, et al., Nature 547:213–216, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature23009 ), made an impact on her understanding of host-pathogen interactions by examining the complex interplay between parasites and their hosts’ nutritional status.