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The following photographs of rodent malaria parasites were all taken in Edinburgh in 2005. All blood stage parasites are stained with Giemsa's
Solution. Hovering your mouse pointer over one or two of the photos will reveal how they look under polarised light.Please feel free to use these
photographs, but please acknowledge the source.
Plasmodium berghei
P. berghei parasites in mouse blood ----------------------------------------------------------------------->
Four ring-stage trophozoites in one reticulocyte ---------------------------------------------------------->
P. berghei parasites in mouse blood displaying the
asynchronicity of development characteristic of this species ---------------------->
Plasmodium chabaudi
P. chabaudi Day 5 post-inoculation ----------------------------------------------------------------------->
Multiple infection of an erythrocyte ---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gametocyte ---------------------------------------------------------------------------->
P. chabaudi Day 7post-inoculation - high parasitaemia ------------------------------------------------->
Plasmodium vinckei
P. vinckei Day 9 post-inoculation ---------------------------------------------------->
Trophozoite ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gametocyte ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gametocyte -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Plasmodium yoelii
P. yoelii (clone 17x) day 9 post-innoculation
(note reticulocyte invasion preference) ------------------------------------------------------------------->
Schizont ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Yoelii (YM) day 5 post-inoculation
(this strain invades both reticulocytes and normocytes and is extremely virulent) -------------------->
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The following photographs show rodent malaria parasites in the mosquito Anopheles stephensi. All parasites are P. yoelii unless otherwise indicated
Mosquito Stage
Mosquito mid-gut infected with oocysts of P. yoelii.
The gut is flattened under a coverslip at x10 magnification.
The oocysts appear as round objects most visible at the bottom left of the gut ----------------------->
Oocyst of P. chabaudi, day 6 Post-infective bloodmeal
Note haemozoin at bottom left ----------------------------------------------------------------------------->
P. yoelii oocyst, day 8 post-infective bloodmeal --------------------------------------------------------->
Various P. yoelii oocyst, day 8 post-infective bloodmeal ------------------------------------->
P. yoelii sporozoites, liberated from a day 8 oocyst by gentle pressure under a coverslip ------------>
The following photographs of rodent malaria parasites were all taken in Edinburgh in 2005. All blood stage parasites are stained with Giemsa's
Solution. Hovering your mouse pointer over one or two of the photos will reveal how they look under polarised light.Please feel free to use these
photographs, but please acknowledge the source.
Plasmodium berghei
P. berghei parasites in mouse blood ----------------------------------------------------------------------->
Four ring-stage trophozoites in one reticulocyte ---------------------------------------------------------->
P. berghei parasites in mouse blood displaying the
asynchronicity of development characteristic of this species ---------------------->
Plasmodium chabaudi
P. chabaudi Day 5 post-inoculation ----------------------------------------------------------------------->
Multiple infection of an erythrocyte ---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gametocyte ---------------------------------------------------------------------------->
P. chabaudi Day 7post-inoculation - high parasitaemia ------------------------------------------------->
Plasmodium vinckei
P. vinckei Day 9 post-inoculation ---------------------------------------------------->
Trophozoite ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gametocyte ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gametocyte -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Plasmodium yoelii
P. yoelii (clone 17x) day 9 post-innoculation
(note reticulocyte invasion preference) ------------------------------------------------------------------->
Schizont ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Yoelii (YM) day 5 post-inoculation
(this strain invades both reticulocytes and normocytes and is extremely virulent) -------------------->
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following photographs show rodent malaria parasites in the mosquito Anopheles stephensi. All parasites are P. yoelii unless otherwise indicated
Mosquito Stage
Mosquito mid-gut infected with oocysts of P. yoelii.
The gut is flattened under a coverslip at x10 magnification.
The oocysts appear as round objects most visible at the bottom left of the gut ----------------------->
Oocyst of P. chabaudi, day 6 Post-infective bloodmeal
Note haemozoin at bottom left ----------------------------------------------------------------------------->
P. yoelii oocyst, day 8 post-infective bloodmeal --------------------------------------------------------->
Various P. yoelii oocyst, day 8 post-infective bloodmeal ------------------------------------->
P. yoelii sporozoites, liberated from a day 8 oocyst by gentle pressure under a coverslip ------------>
Introduction
There are many reasons for using rodent malaria parasites as models for human malaria. The most obvious of
these is the ease with which the whole life cycle (including the stages in mosquitoes) can be achieved in the
laboratory. This is a crucial factor in studying malaria parasites, and one which is impossible to achieve with the
rodent and human malaria parasites, they share conserved genetics and genome organization, conserved
housekeeping genes and biochemical processes, and there is considerable evidence for conservation of the
molecular basis of drug-sensitivity and resistance.
There are many reasons for using rodent malaria parasites as models for human malaria. The most obvious of
these is the ease with which the whole life cycle (including the stages in mosquitoes) can be achieved in the
laboratory. This is a crucial factor in studying malaria parasites, and one which is impossible to achieve with the
rodent and human malaria parasites, they share conserved genetics and genome organization, conserved
housekeeping genes and biochemical processes, and there is considerable evidence for conservation of the
molecular basis of drug-sensitivity and resistance.
The origins of the rodent malaria parasites (From Carlton,J.M.R., Hayton,M., Cravo,P.V.L., Walliker,D., 2001. Of mice and malaria mutants: unravelling
the genetics of drug resistance using rodent malaria models. Trends in Parasitology 17, 236-242)
the genetics of drug resistance using rodent malaria models. Trends in Parasitology 17, 236-242)
A map of the locations from which the various rodent parasites were isolated is shown above. The first of the
rodent parasites to be discovered was P. berghei, which was found in the blood of a thicket rat, Grammomys
surdaster, by Vinckei and Lips in 1948. The discovery of P. vinckei followed in 1952, P. chabaudi in 1965, and P.
yoelii was added to the taxonomy in 1974.
rodent parasites to be discovered was P. berghei, which was found in the blood of a thicket rat, Grammomys
surdaster, by Vinckei and Lips in 1948. The discovery of P. vinckei followed in 1952, P. chabaudi in 1965, and P.
yoelii was added to the taxonomy in 1974.
Rodent Malaria Parasites