Short-term in vitro culture of field isolates of Plasmodium vivax using umbilical cord blood.
Plasmodium vivax research has been hampered by the lack of technology for culturing this parasite. Culturing P. vivax is difficult because the parasite selectively invades reticulocytes. Here we describe a modified procedure to establish and maintain short-term cultures of freshly collected P. vivax parasites using reticulocyte-enriched cord blood. Using this method, parasites could be cultured for a month. Manipulation of the culture allowed procurement of synchronized stages of the parasite. This short-term culture method can be easily adapted to study various aspects of the parasite biology.
Udomsangpetch
Rachanee
R
Department of Pathobiology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. scrud@mahidol.ac.th
Somsri
Sangdao
S
Panichakul
Tasanee
T
Chotivanich
Kesinee
K
Sirichaisinthop
Jeeraphat
J
Yang
Zhaoqing
Z
Cui
Liwang
L
Sattabongkot
Jetsumon
J
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000469:parasitology*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000469:parasitology*