Aïssata Ongoïba

The paper compares var gene expression in asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections and clinical malaria cases during dry and wet seasons in Mali, finding fewer and lower-level var transcripts in asymptomatic carriers.

This study uses single-cell RNA-seq to profile seasonal changes in Plasmodium falciparum parasites, showing older parasites circulate in the dry season and transcriptional changes in exported proteins affecting cytoadhesion.