一种细胞释放成孔毒素（PFT），直接对另一种细胞造成损害。宿主使用 PFT（包括膜攻击复合物/穿孔素蛋白家族的成员）来对抗细菌感染和癌症，而细菌和寄生虫则利用 PFT 来促进感染。顶复门寄生虫分泌穿孔素样蛋白作为 PFT，从受感染的细胞中逸出并穿过组织屏障。其他原生动物以及蠕虫寄生虫在感染期间利用皂苷样 PFT 来获取营养。这篇综述讨论了在理解寄生虫 PFT 如何促进感染方面的开创性和最新进展，并描述了它们如何被调节和发挥其作用而不导致寄生虫自残。尽管在确定 PFT 孔形成机制方面已经取得了令人兴奋的进展，但仍有许多悬而未决的问题有待解决，以获得对寄生虫感染的这些显着决定因素的更多关键见解。

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are released by one cell to directly inflict damage on another cell. Hosts use PFTs, including members of the membrane attack complex/perforin protein family, to fight bacterial infections and cancer, while bacteria and parasites deploy PFTs to promote infection. Apicomplexan parasites secrete perforin-like proteins as PFTs to egress from infected cells and traverse tissue barriers. Other protozoa, along with helminth parasites, utilize saposin-like PFTs prospectively for nutrient acquisition during infection. This review discusses seminal and more recent advances in understanding how parasite PFTs promote infection and describes how they are regulated and fulfill their roles without causing parasite self-harm. Although exciting progress has been made in defining mechanisms of pore formation by PFTs, many open questions remain to be addressed to gain additional key insights into these remarkable determinants of parasitic infections.