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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Microbiol. 2015 Jun 21;26:71–78. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2015.05.013

Figure 2. The current model of Plasmodium liver stage development.

Figure 2

Once the malaria parasite takes up residence in the hepatocyte, it transforms from its elongated sporozoite form to a rounded trophozite during a process called de-differentiation. After this process, the parasite undergoes rapid schizogony, replicating its DNA and producing tens of thousands of exo-erythrocytic merozoites within the confines of the PVM. Throughout this process, the parasite must regulate a variety of cellular processes, including the direct interaction with host structures and proteins. Host membranes and proteins are depicted in green, parasite structures and proteins in red and orange.