While many of these interactions are redundant, the binding of merozoite P. falciparum reticulocyte homologue 5 (PfRH5) to erythrocyte basigin is essential for invasion by all tested P. falciparum strains (Crosnier et al., 2011), making PfRH5 one of the most promising blood-stage malaria vaccine candidates. Here, BSG is linked to malaria.