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Malaria is transmitted to vertebrates via a mosquito bite, during whichrod-like and crescent-shaped parasites, called sporozoites, are injected intothe skin of the host. Searching for a blood capillary to penetrate, sporozoitesmove quickly in locally helical trajectories, that are frequently perturbed byinteractions with the extracellular environment. Here we present a theoreticalanalysis of the active motility of sporozoites in a structured environment. Thesporozoite is modelled as a self-propelled rod with spontaneous curvature andbending rigidity. It interacts with hard obstacles through collision rulesinferred from experimental observation of two-dimensional sporozoite movementin pillar arrays. Our model shows that complex motion patterns arise from thegeometrical shape of the parasite and that its mechanical flexibility iscrucial for stable migration patterns. Extending the model to three dimensionsreveals that a bent and twisted rod can associate to cylindrical obstacles in amanner reminiscent of the association of sporozoites to blood capillaries,supporting the notion of a prominent role of cell shape during malariatransmission.

Geometrical model for malaria parasite migration in structured environments