Facilitator Questions

Why do you think the Plasmodium replicative cycle is so much longer than the Toxoplasma cell cycle (~48 hr vs ~8 hr)?

Parasitologists like to understand the way in which parasites regulate host cell gene expression in the infected cell (and there are some fascinating examples of this).  Why might this rationale NOT apply when thinking about Plasmodium falciparum?

Why do you think apicomplexan parasites have a polarized cellular architecture?

You have discovered a new intracellular parasite of birds, and you suspect that it may be a member of the phylum Apicomplexa.  How could you confirm this?  What would you look for and why?

Knowing what you now know about the cell biology of apicomplexa, which organelle would make the best target to develop drugs against, and why?

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