Complement

Plasmodium falciparum malaria is responsible for the deaths of nearly 500,000 people each year. Much attention has been paid to antibody and cellular mechanisms of immunity against this pathogen. By contrast, the role that the complement system plays in immunity and pathogenesis in this infection is not very well recognized or understood. Based on the work of a number of research groups, we know that complement plays an important role in these processes.

Plasmodium falciparum malaria is responsible for the deaths of nearly 500,000 people each year. Much attention has been paid to antibody and cellular mechanisms of immunity against this pathogen. By contrast, the role that the complement system plays in immunity and pathogenesis in this infection is not very well recognized or understood. Based on the work of a number of research groups, we know that complement plays an important role in these processes.

What's in a name? To paraphrase Shakespeare's Juliet, that which - ilie Haynsworth called the Schur complement, by any other name would be just as beautiful. Nevertheless, her 1968 naming decision in honor of Issai Schur (1875-1941) has gained lasting acceptance by the mathematical com­ munity. The Schur complement plays an important role in matrix analysis, statistics, numerical analysis, and many other areas of mathematics and its applications. Our goal is to expose the Schur complement as a rich and basic tool in mathematical research and applications and to discuss many significant re­ sults that illustrate its power and fertility.