A brief illustrated guide to the ultrastructure of Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood stages.
Interpretation of the new information arising from the Plasmodium falciparum Genome Project requires a good working knowledge of the ultrastructure of the parasite; however many aspects of the morphology of this species remain obscure. Lawrence Bannister, John Hopkins and colleagues here give an illustrated overview of the three-dimensional (3-D) organization of the merozoite, ring, trophozoite and schizont stages of the parasite, based on available data that include 3-D reconstruc-tion from serial electron microscope sections. The review describes the chief organelles present in these stages, emphasizing the continuity of structure in addition to specialized, stage-specific features developed during the asexual erythrocytic cycle.
Bannister
L H
LH
Centre for Neuroscience, Hodgkin Building, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Hospitals School of Basic Medical Science, KCL, Guy's Campus, SE1 1UL, London, UK. lawrence.bannister@umds.ac.uk
Hopkins
J M
JM
Fowler
R E
RE
Krishna
S
S
Mitchell
G H
GH
D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D015388:Organelles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure*