title: Assessment of Parasite Liver-Stage Burden in Human-Liver Chimeric Mice.
abstract: Humanized mice with a chimeric liver are a promising tool to evaluate the "in vivo" efficacy of novel compounds or vaccine-induced antibodies directed against the pre-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum. The absence of human red blood cells in these humanized mice precludes the transition from liver to blood stage. The qPCR-based method described below allows for a sensitive and reliable quantification of parasite DNA in the chimeric liver following a challenge via infected mosquito bite or intravenous injection of sporozoites. With this method approximately 25 % of the total chimeric liver is examined and a single infected hepatocyte can be detected in the analyzed tissue. The use of appropriate species-specific probes can also allow for the detection of other Plasmodium species in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University and University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lander
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Foquet
authors.affiliation: Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University and University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meuleman
authors.affiliation: Medical Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, Geert Grooteplein 28, GA 6525, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cornelus C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hermsen
authors.affiliation: Medical Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, Geert Grooteplein 28, GA 6525, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sauerwein
authors.affiliation: Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University and University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, Ghent, 9000, Belgium. geert.lerouxroels@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leroux-Roels
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010967:Plasmodium yoelii / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D034101:Sporozoites / Q000276:immunology
keywords: Humanized mouse model; In vivo; Liver stage; Malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; Sporozoite; qPCR