J Korean Med Sci.  2007 Dec;22(6):1022-1025. 10.3346/jkms.2007.22.6.1022.

Plasmodium falciparum Cultivation Using the Petri Dish: Revisiting the Effect of the 'Age' of Erythrocytes and the Interval of Medium Change

• Kim YA
• Cha JE
• Ahn SY
• Ryu SH
• Yeom JS
• Lee HI
• Kim CG
• Seoh JY
• Park JW

• KMID: 1785764
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2007.22.6.1022

Abstract

Differences in the characteristics of the culture conditions can influence the multiplication rate of Plasmodium falciparum. The Petri dish method is one of the most popular methods of cultivating this parasite. In many previous studies, ideal culture conditions of the Petri dish method were achieved by using erythrocytes collected from blood that had been stored for at least 2 weeks, with daily changes of the medium. In the present study, we studied the multiplication rate of P. falciparum in cultures containing erythrocytes of various ages together with changing the medium at various intervals of time. Our results strongly suggest that the rate of in vitro multiplication of P. falciparum was higher in freshly collected erythrocytes than in aged erythrocytes regardless of the anticoagulant and that when the parasitemia is lower than 8% with a hematocrit of 5%, the medium change interval can be as long as 48 hr without a great reduction in the rate of multiplication.

Keyword

Plasmodium falciparum; In Vitro Cultivation; The Petri Dish Method; Parasite Multiplication; Age of Erythrocytes; Medium Change Interval

MeSH Terms

Animals
Blood Specimen Collection
Cell Aging
Culture Media
Erythrocytes/*parasitology
Plasmodium falciparum/*growth & development
Time Factors

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Multiplication of Plasmodium falciparum in cultures supplemented with erythrocytes with various ages, which had been stored (A) within EDTA tube and (B) within ACD tube. The culture medium was changed every 12 hr.

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of the parasitemia level of in vitro cultivated Plasmodium falciparum in cultures with various intervals of medium change. Results are shown for freshly collected erythrocytes (A), 14-day-old erythrocytes stored in an EDTA tube (B), and 28-day-old erythrocytes stored in an EDTA tube (C).

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