Prospects for Malaria Vaccines: Pre-Erythrocytic Stages, Blood Stages, and Transmission-Blocking Stages

Figure 2

Vaccines target the life cycle of Plasmodium falciparum. (a) Pre-erythrocytic Plasmodium vaccine: vaccine produces antibodies that kill infected liver cells or interfere with the malaria parasite during liver cell proliferation; (b) asexual blood-stage vaccine: vaccine aims primarily at reducing parasite load or eliminating circulating parasites; (c) vaccine aims at controlling the transmission of malaria parasites from human hosts to the mosquito vectors.