Parasitology

Splenic retention of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes to block the transmission of malaria

Publié le - Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

Auteurs : Julien Duez, John P. Holleran, Papa Alioune Ndour, Sasdekumar Loganathan, Pascal Amireault, Olivier Français, Wassim El Nemer, Bruno Le Pioufle, Inês F. Amado, Sylvie Garcia, Nathalie Chartrel, Caroline Le van Kim, Catherine Lavazec, Vicky M. Avery, Pierre A. Buffet

Background: Plasmodium falciparum is transmitted from humans to Anopheles mosquito vectors via the sexual erythrocytic forms termed gametocytes. Erythrocyte filtration through microsphere layers (microsphiltration) had shown that circulating gametocytes were deformable. Compounds reducing gametocyte deformability would induce their splenic clearance, thus remove them from the blood circulation and block malaria transmission.