Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Sci Adv. 2018 May 23;4(5):eaat3775. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat3775. eCollection 2018 May.
Transmission of parasites to the mosquito requires the formation and development of gametocytes. Studies in infected humans have shown that only the most mature forms of gametocytes are present in circulation, whereas immature forms accumulate in the hematopoietic environment of the bone marrow. We used the rodent model to study gametocyte behavior through time under physiological conditions. Intravital microscopy demonstrated preferential homing of early gametocyte forms across the intact vascular barrier of the bone marrow and the spleen early during infection and subsequent development in the extravascular environment. During the acute phase of infection, we observed vascular leakage resulting in further parasite accumulation in this environment. Mature gametocytes showed high deformability and were found entering and exiting the intact vascular barrier. We suggest that extravascular gametocyte localization and mobility are essential for gametocytogenesis and transmission of to the mosquito.
寄生虫向蚊子的传播需要配子体的形成和发育。对感染人类的研究表明，只有最成熟的配子体形式存在于循环中，而不成熟的形式在骨髓的造血环境中积累。我们使用啮齿动物模型在生理条件下研究配子体行为随时间的变化。活体显微镜显示，在感染早期和随后在血管外环境中的发育过程中，早期配子体形式优先穿过骨髓和脾脏完整的血管屏障归巢。在感染的急性期，我们观察到血管渗漏导致更多的寄生虫在这种环境中积累。成熟的配子体表现出高变形性，并被发现进入和退出完整的血管屏障。我们认为，血管外配子体的定位和迁移对于配子体发生和向蚊子传播是必不可少的。
