The secret life of malaria parasites during the dry season

Malaria is caused by the parasite Plasmodium and transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. But what happens if no mosquitoes are present during a dry season? Our research group is investigating the mechanisms used by malaria parasites to survive dry seasons in their host. For this, we cooperate with a partner group of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Bamako, Mali, where we study more than 600 people over long periods of time.