Provides an overview of the rapid and significant developments that have occurred in malaria research, including the 2002 genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum and its mosquito vector, Anopheles gambiae. The book opens with an introduction to Plasmodium molecular biology, followed by several chapters on its genetics and evolution. The remaining five sections examine the intricate host-parasite relationship through comprehensive coverage of invasion and gamete formation; growth and metabolism; immune invasion; protection mechanisms; and the malaria vector.