Imaging Plasmodium immunobiology in the liver, brain, and lung

Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum malaria is responsible for the deaths of over half a million African children annually. Until a decade ago, dynamic analysis of the malaria parasite was limited to in vitro systems with the typical limitations associated with 2D monocultures or entirely artificial surfaces. Due to extremely low parasite densities, the liver was considered a black box in terms of Plasmodium sporozoite invasion, liver stage development, and merozoite release into the blood. Further, nothing was known about the behavior of blood stage parasites in organs such as the brain where clinical signs manifest and the ensuing immune response of the host that may ultimately result in a fatal outcome. The advent of fluorescent parasites, advances in imaging technology, and availability of an ever-increasing number of cellular and molecular probes have helped illuminate many steps along the pathogenetic cascade of this deadly tropical parasite.

Keywords: ALI/ARDS; Acute lung injury; BAB; BBB; Brain; CM; Cerebral malaria; ECM; HCM; IRR; IVM; Intravital microscopy; LS; Liver; Lung; MRI; Malaria; Merozoite; Mouse model; PCV; Pathogenesis; PbA; Plasmodium; Plasmodium berghei ANKA; Plasmodium yoelii 17XL; PyXL; RBC; Sporozoite; TJ; acute lung infection/acute respiratory distress syndrome; blood alveolar barrier; blood–brain barrier; cerebral malaria; experimental cerebral malaria; human cerebral malaria; iRBC; infected red blood cell; intravital microscopy; intravital reflection recording; liver stage; magnetic resonance imaging; postcapillary venule; red blood cell; tight junction; wild type; wt.