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Intracellular phagotrophy by malaria parasites: an electron microscope study of Plasmodium lophurae *
Author(s) -
Rudzinska Maria A.,
Trager William
Publication year - 1957
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1957.tb02507.x
Subject(s) - vacuole , organelle , cytoplasm , biology , electron microscope , plasmodium (life cycle) , parasite hosting , microbiology and biotechnology , intracellular parasite , intracellular , physics , world wide web , computer science , optics
SUMMARY. An electron microscope study of thin sections of duck erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium lophurae revealed that the so‐called “residual body” is a food vacuole formed by invagination from the cytoplasm of the host cell. Several such food vacuoles may exist in a single parasite. Digestion of hemoglobin evidently proceeds only within these food vacuoles, since they are the only place in the parasite where the characteristic malarial pigment granules may be found. This finding changes the role ascribed to the residual body and gives a new concept of the feeding mechanisms in P. lophurae and other malaria parasites. The cytoplasm of the host is taken in by the parasite by phagotrophy and not only as previously assumed, by diffusion. The fine structure of P. lophurae shows all major components found in other protozoan and metazoan cells. Some of the organelles appear to have a much simpler structure connected probably with the highly specialized intracellular parasitic life.