Chemotherapy of sporozoite- and blood-induced Plasmodium berghei infections with selected antimalarial agents.

Abstract

Summary On the basis of these preliminary observations, it appears that, provided suitable temperature-controlled insectaries are available, the A. stephensi-A/J mouse P. berghei cycle is a useful model for the evaluation of various applications of antimalarial agents including causal prophylaxis, suppressive, and curative therapy. The short prepatent period must be considered together with the duration of persistence of the drug in blood or tissues in determining causal prophylaxis. An adequate dosage of sporozoites, which results in ready detection of exoerythrocytic stages in control and pretreated animals, is essential. The response of sporozoite-induced infection with P. berghei to antimalarial drugs resembles in several ways that seen both in P. vivax and P. falciparum.