The research was conducted because clinical studies on
human P. knowlesi malaria described significant differences
in the severity of disease experienced by patients; the
authors found that this might be linked to differential
parasite multiplication rates [4]. A rational candidate gene
approach, focussing on invasion genes, was adopted to
investigate whether some P. knowlesi invasion gene variants confer an invasion advantage in human erythrocytes.
Here, we place the results of this study [1] within the
broader context of hyperparasitaemia and malaria pathophysiology,
and suggest possible pathways for proof-ofprinciple
preclinical testing and translational medicine.