Visualization of Malaria Parasites in the Skin Using the Luciferase Transgenic Parasite,<i> Plasmodium berghei</i>

• Matsuoka Hiroyuki

  Division of Medical Zoology, Jichi Medical University

• Tomita Hiroyuki

  Division of Medical Zoology, Jichi Medical University

• Hattori Ryuta

  Division of Medical Zoology, Jichi Medical University

• Arai Meiji

  Division of Medical Zoology, Jichi Medical University Department of International Medical Zoology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kagawa University

• Hirai Makoto

  Division of Medical Zoology, Jichi Medical University Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Juntendo University

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• Visualization of malaria parasites in the skin using the luciferase transgenic parasite, Plasmodium berghei.

Abstract

We produced a transgenic rodent malaria parasite (Plasmodium berghei) that contained the luciferase gene under a promoter region of elongation factor-1α. These transgenic (TG) parasites expressed luciferase in all stages of their life cycle, as previously reported. However, we were the first to succeed in observing sporozoites as a mass in mouse skin following their deposition by the probing of infective mosquitoes. Our transgenic parasites may have emitted stronger bioluminescence than previous TG parasites. The estimated number of injected sporozoites by mosquitoes was between 34 and 775 (median 80). Since luciferase activity diminished immediately after the death of the parasites, luciferase activity could be an indicator of the existence of live parasites. Our results indicated that sporozoites survived at the probed site for more than 42 hours. We also detected sporozoites in the liver within 15 min of the intravenous injection. Bioluminescence was not observed in the lung, kidney or spleen. We confirmed the observation that the liver was the first organ in which malaria parasites entered and increased in number.

Journal

• Tropical Medicine and Health

  Tropical Medicine and Health 43 (1), 53-61, 2015

  Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine

Keywords

• imaging
• luciferase
• malaria
• probing
• skin stage
• sporozoite

Details

• CRID: 1390001205220117504
• NII Article ID: 130004704899
• DOI: 10.2149/tmh.2014-18
• ISSN: 13494147
• ISSN: 13488945
• Web Site: https://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2015331838
• Text Lang: en
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • Crossref
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed