Exoerythrocytic Development of Malarial Parasites

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the exoerythrocytic development of malarial parasites and summarizes the knowledge of the exo-erythrocytic (EE) form, a stage in the life-cycle of Plasmodium. In describing the development of the intracellular EE stage, it should be realized that, at the moment of fixation, the parasites are not resting stages but actively growing forms. Because of the importance of the EE cycle in the establishment of a blood infection, this chapter considers the EE form the original or primitive stage, a bridgehead by which Plasmodium captures the vertebrate host. This chapter also includes a historical survey, the morphology of the exo-erythrocytic liver stage, the metabolism of the exo-erythrocytic liver stage, and the cultivation of the exo-erythrocytic liver stage. The rodent EE forms, and their development from sporozoites in hepatocytes have been studied more extensively in recent years. Only very recently the primate EE parasites have been yielded to fine structural studies, allowing more knowledge to become available.