In vitro cultivation of the exoerythrocytic stage of Plasmodium berghei from sporozoites.

When inoculated with sporozoites of Plasmodium berghei, the human embryonic lung cell line WI38 supports the complete asexual developmental cycle of the exoerythrocytic stage. Cultured parasites were sensitive to primaquine, were shown to resemble parasites in living hosts by immunofluorescent antibody tests, and on subinoculation into mice induced a red blood cell infection, the gametocytes of which produced sporozoites in anopheline mosquitoes.