Researchers have imaged the moving junction, a ring-shaped protein structure that Plasmodium uses to create a temporary gap in a red blood cell membrane. The parasite slips through this microscopic opening unnoticed, leaving the cell membrane intact behind it. This mechanical breach has long been difficult to observe in such detail.
Understanding the exact physical entry mechanism offers a precise target for blocking infection before the parasite multiplies. Still, seeing how the machinery works in isolation is a long way from stopping it inside a living host. It is a neat piece of biophysics, though intervention remains complicated.
more: https://www.quantamagazine.org/malaria-parasite-caught-in-the-act-of-breaking-and-entering-20261023/
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