Abstract:
The erythrocytic developmental cycle of Plasmodium
berghei can be conveniently divided into the ring, tropho-zoite and schizont stages based on morphology. The sensitivity and effect of chloroquine on density-gradient isolated
fractions of each of these stages was investigated using the
plasmodial strain P.berghei (NK65), a rodent model as an
experimental tool. This plasmodial strain was found to be
routinely lethal in infected mice in the absence of administered therapeutic levels of chloroquine. P.berghei infected blood was separated into the various developmental stages
using discontinuous Percoll gradient centrifugation. The
various stage-isolated fractions were found to be infective
and sensitive to these same levels of chloroquine. However
chloroquine was found to show insignificant differential
sensitivity with regards to the developmental stage of
berghei (NK 65) strain.
