Plasmodium falciparum causes more severe malaria than other species partly due to cytoadherence. The parasite ligand responsible for binding to ICAM-1 on cerebral endothelial cells is:

• A Duffy antigen binding protein (DABP)
• B PfEMP1 (P. falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1) ✓
• C Merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1)
• D Ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA)

Explanation

PfEMP1 is a variant surface antigen encoded by the var gene family expressed on infected erythrocyte surface knobs; it mediates cytoadherence to endothelial receptors including ICAM-1, CD36, and PECAM-1, causing sequestration in cerebral microvasculature and cerebral malaria. Duffy antigen binding protein is used by P. vivax to invade reticulocytes. MSP-1 is involved in merozoite invasion of erythrocytes. RESA is expressed on ring-stage infected erythrocytes but is not a cytoadherence ligand.

Reference: Ananthanarayan & Paniker's Textbook of Microbiology, 11th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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