Possible mechanisms for the maintenance of polymorphisms in Plasmodium populations.

Abstract excerpt

There are two views on the origin and maintenance of the high levels of polymorphism found in antigenic Plasmodium proteins. Immune selectionists consider that mutations which avoid stimulating a host response are frequent and advantageous. Proponents of the random genetic drift of selectively equivalent mutations hold that Plasmodium antigens are relatively unconstrained and can tolerate considerable structural...

Topics

• Animals
• Antigens, Protozoan
• Epitopes
• Genetic Variation
• Plasmodium
• Polymorphism, Genetic