Plasmodium falciparum population dynamics: only snapshots in time?

Infections caused by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum often comprise multiple genetically distinct clones. Individuals in endemic areas can have different clones detected in their peripheral blood over a few days or even hours. This reveals interesting within-host dynamics of multiclonal infections, which seem to differ in asymptomatic and symptomatic infections. As well as being an intriguing biological phenomenon that merits further understanding, the extensive dynamics of P. falciparum infections have practical implications on the design and interpretation of malaria studies. Most assessments will, indeed, only provide snapshots of the parasite population dynamics.