Plasmodium berghei: Glycolytic intermediate concentrations of the infected mouse erythrocyte

Abstract

The concentrations of glycolytic intermediates and related metabolites were measured in blood from three groups of mice: (1) mice infected with the malarial parasite Plasmodium berghei; (2) mice with an induced reticulocytosis; and (3) uninfected control mice. The glycolytic intermediate concentrations of parasitized versus normal blood samples were not grossly different, yet the differences appeared to correlate well with previous in vitro observations of enzyme changes in infected red blood cells. The changes in intermediate pool sizes in P. berghei-infected blood as compared to normal blood indicate the presence of unique glycolytic control mechanisms. Finally, the intermediate pattern of infected blood was related to the presence of the parasite and did not correlate with the intermediate pattern of normal or reticulocyte-rich blood.