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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Apr 2.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Microbiol. 2016 May 18;32:66–70. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2016.04.008

Figure 1. Modes of EV-mediated communication.

Figure 1

1. Parasite cross-talk. Parasite-parasite communication mediated by EVs can regulate population level behavior and the exchange of traits such as drug resistance markers (P. falciparum) or virulence factors (T. brucei). 2. Parasite-host communication. Modulation of host responses via EVs includes the activation and/or suppression of inflammatory responses, as observed in the majority of systems where parasite-derived EVs have been described. EVs can also induce host responses that facilitate specific parasite phenotypes such as increased host cell adherence (T. vaginalis) and induction of host cell proliferation, supporting growth and replication of parasitic worms. 3. Host response. Parasites can trigger the release of EVs from host cells that either promote or suppress infection. Activation of host EVs upon parasite infection include the induction of endothelial and platelet-derived EVs during malaria infection, as well as release of epithelial EVs with anti-microbial properties upon C. parvum infection.