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Plasmodium berghei development in irradiated sporozoite-immunized C57BL6 mice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 1999

B. ZECHINI ,
L. CORDIER ,
E. NGONSEU ,
U. D'ALESSANDRO ,
M. WERY  and
S. CHATTERJEE
B. ZECHINI
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Institute of Tropical Diseases, Policlinico Umberto Io, Viale del Policlinico 155-00100 Rome, Italy
L. CORDIER
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Institute of Tropical Diseases, Policlinico Umberto Io, Viale del Policlinico 155-00100 Rome, Italy
E. NGONSEU
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat – 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium
U. D'ALESSANDRO
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat – 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium
M. WERY
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat – 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium
S. CHATTERJEE
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat – 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium
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Abstract

The C57BL6 strain of mice is highly susceptible to Plasmodium berghei sporozoite infections and consequently requires repeated immunizations with irradiated sporozoites to obtain protective immunity. After a live sporozoite challenge in the immunized hosts, hepatic-stage parasites found in the liver after 48 h are of different sizes – small schizonts corresponding to blocked forms (derived from irradiated sporozoites), and schizonts of intermediate size (derived from live sporozoites). Large schizonts corresponding to mature hepatic forms are found only in unimmunized but challenged C57BL6 mice. Using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies directed to liver-stage parasites, different patterns of binding reactivity to the above forms are observed. More than 20% of the irradiated sporozoites transform into blocked forms after immunization and persist in the liver. Upon sporozoite challenge in such immunized animals the rate of transformation of sporozoites into hepatic parasites is less than 2%. These observations shed light on the fate of live sporozoite development in irradiated sporozoite-immunized C57BL6 mice.

Keywords

Plasmodium bergheiC57BL6 micesporozoitesimmunity
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 118 , Issue 4 , April 1999 , pp. 335 - 338
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press

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