In this book I explore why it is often difficult, but sometimes easy, to manage the natural living world for our own benefit. Answers will emerge as the book progresses through twelve short chapters drawn from the worlds of medicine and food.
Chapter 1
Malaria - set a vaccince to catch a parasite
This concerns the part of the life cycle of the malaria parasite as it causes disease in a child in Africa. The extraordinary complexity that is parcelled up in these minute specks of parasitic matter is described. From the parasite’s viewpoint its progress through the human body is followed. The amazing series of evasions and smoke-screens the parasite uses to survive, despite the defences of the human immunity, are revealed as we proceed toward the crisis for the child and her escape by drug treatment.
The second part of the chapter will recount the development of the recombinant antigen vaccine against malaria that is currently the front runner in clinical trials for registration and use. This acts against the early sporozoite stage of invasion by the parasite. Although how the vaccine works precisely remains unknown, it is sufficiently effective to reduce substantially the burden on malaria. But the world in which it will have to work is far more complex than can be fully managed by this single technical fix. It is unlikely that there will be vaccine that can eradicate malaria in the way there was a vaccine to eradicate smallpox.
Download: • chapter-1-contrary-life.pdf