RESUMEN
β?carbonic anhydrases(β?CAs)are ubiquitous metalloenzymes which active site contains a zinc ion(Zn2+),and they could catalyze the hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and protons efficiently and are involved in many biological pro?cesses,such as respiration,pH and CO2 homeostasis,biosynthetic reactions,virulence regulation and so on,and may play a critical role in the life activity of many organisms which contain these enzymes. β?CAs are widely distributed in fungi,bacteria, algae,plants and a small number of protozoan and metazoan except vertebrates. Therefore,as potential drug targets for design?ing and developing antibacterial and anti?parasitic drugs,β?CAs promise a broad application prospect. This paper focuses on the distribution,physiological function and the progress of researches on β?CAs in parasites and their vectors.