[Light microscopic and scanning electron microscopic observations on phagocytosis of Plasmodium berghei infected erythrocytes by mouse macrophages [author's transl)].

Peritoneal macrophages from mice were cultured in Leighton tubes for 2 hours. Thereafter suspensions of washed red blood corpuscles originating from Plasmodium berghei-infected mice were offered to the cultured cells for phagocytosis. After 15 minutes of incubation 13,5% of the macrophages showed phagocytized parasites if the peritoneal cells came from malariaimmune mice. Cells from normal mice or from infected mice had lower rates (4,8/9,1%). After an incubation of 3 hours about 50% of the cells showed phagocytosis in all three groups. The system used allowed to estimate the halftimes for intracellular elimination of the parasites. The values are 27 minutes for cells from immune animals, 57 minutes for cells from normal animals, and 66 minutes for cells from infected animals. Details of the process of phatocytosis were recorded by scanning electron microscopic pictures.