Plasmodium berghei: Detection in organs of infected mice by means of immuno-fluorescence

Abstract

An immunofluorescent study of the malarial antigen in the tissues of mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (berghei strain) was conducted. In the first week of infection, the malarial antigen appears in corpuscular forms in the erythrocytes located in the vessels of the spleen, liver and kidney. From the second week onward, when antibodies to malaria begin to be detected, a new form of the malarial antigen, which appears as coarse granules, is detected in the fixed RE cells of the liver, spleen and in the glomerular endothelial and mesangial cells. There is a progressive decrease in the amount of the corpuscular form of the malarial antigen with a concomitant increase in the granular form. In the third week, most of the malarial antigen in the tissues is granular and the corpuscular form is rarely seen.