Editorial: Models to study malaria parasite-host interactions and pathogenesis

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic Models to study malaria parasite-host cell interactions and pathogenesisIn 1976 George Box, a British statistician, wrote "All models are wrong, some are useful" and malaria models are no exception. At times passions have run high over the rightfulness or otherwise of these models (Craig et al., 2012), but our ability to translate basic knowledge into mechanistic insights into malaria pathology depends to a large extent on models. The pathologies of malaria disease, in particular severe, life-threatening clinical syndromes are defined by the nature of the combination of the invading pathogen and the host environment that the pathogen encounters and subsequently modifies. Key areas that have been identified that influence disease processes include immunity, inflammation and cytoadherence, all of which can be represented to varying extents using existing models.Indeed, our knowledge of the biology of the malaria parasite Plasmodium spp. has increased dramatically since the early 1970s through improvements in molecular and cellular biology technology and the use of models. However, translating this knowledge into an understanding of malaria pathology has been more of a challenge, not least because of the need to include the context of the host-parasite relationship in these studies. This Research Topic contains papers showing how models can be used to elucidate the complex relationships between host and parasite and to dissect the molecular mechanisms that underpin these processes.Taken together, the Research Topic highlights several considerations of models:Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology frontiersin.org 01