Invasion characteristics of a Plasmodium knowlesi line newly isolated from a human.
Plasmodium knowlesi is extensively used as an important malaria model and is now recognized as an important cause of human malaria in Malaysia. The strains of P. knowlesi currently used for research were isolated many decades ago, raising concerns that they might no longer be representative of contemporary parasite populations. We derived a new P. knowlesi line (University Malaya line, UM01), from a patient admitted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and compared it with a human-adapted laboratory line (A1-H.1) derived from the P. knowlesi H strain. The UM01 and A1-H.1 lines readily invade human and macaque (Macaca fascicularis) normocytes with a preference for reticulocytes. Whereas invasion of human red blood cells was dependent on the presence of the Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines (DARC) for both parasite lines, this was not the case for macaque red blood cells. Nonetheless, differences in invasion efficiency, gametocyte production and the length of the asexual cycle were noted between the two lines. It would be judicious to isolate and characterise numerous P. knowlesi lines for use in future experimental investigations of this zoonotic species.
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Amirah
A
Amir
Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore 117545, Singapore.
Bruce
B
Russell
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Jonathan Wee Kent
JW
Liew
Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom.
Robert W
RW
Moon
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Mun Yik
MY
Fong
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Indra
I
Vythilingam
Department of Pharmacology and Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam Campus, Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor 42300, Malaysia.
Vellayan
V
Subramaniam
Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicale), Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (Cimi-Paris), UMR 1135, ERL CNRS 8255 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), 91 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, F-75013 Paris, France.
Georges
G
Snounou
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Yee Ling
YL
Lau
D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008251:Macaca; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D016790:Plasmodium knowlesi / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult