A MOUSE MODEL FOR HUMAN MALARIA ERYTHROCYTIC STAGES

Mice lacking B- and T-cell functions could be made susceptible to the development of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum by partial depletion of macrophages and substitution of mice erythrocytes by human ones. Both tissue and blood macrophages of mice were found to be crucial in defense against heterologous human infected cells and had to be partially depleted and/or their increase controlled to allow for parasite development In view of the scarcity of animals able to harbour human parasites, this novel model opens several new perspectives of research as discussed here by Edgar Badell, Valerie Pasquetto, Nice van Rooijen and Pierre Druilhe. It should become particularly useful in the fields of drugs and vaccine design.