Antisporozoite malaria vaccine development based on circumsporozoite protein.

Malaria remains prevalent in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world, infecting hundreds of millions of people each year. The problem of malaria is compounded by the spread of insecticide resistance in mosquitos and by the appearance of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to drugs such as chloroquine and pyrimethamine. More than 100 Plasmodium species have been described that cause malaria in a wide range of vertebrate hosts. Four species are recognized that commonly infect humans: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale. P. falciparum is responsible for almost all malaria-related deaths, and P. vivax causes considerable morbidity.