Cell volume control in the Plasmodium-infected erythrocyte

As the malaria parasite grows within the host erythrocyte, it ingests and digests far more haemoglobin than is required to provide amino acids for protein synthesis. A recent paper focuses attention on the role of this process in limiting the extent of swelling undergone by the infected cell and thereby preventing the host erythrocyte from lysing before the new generation of parasites are ready to make their escape.