Host Immune Cell Membrane Deformability Governs the Uptake Route of Malaria-Derived Extracellular Vesicles.

The malaria parasite, , secretes extracellular vesicles (EVs) to facilitate its growth and to communicate with the external microenvironment, primarily targeting the host's immune cells. How parasitic EVs enter specific immune cell types within the highly heterogeneous pool of immune cells remains largely unknown. Using a combination of imaging flow cytometry and advanced fluorescence analysis, we demonstrated that the route of uptake of parasite-derived EVs differs markedly between host T cells and monocytes.