Malaria parasite strain characterization, cryopreservation, and banking of isolates: a WHO memorandum.

There has been considerable progress in the biological characterization of malaria parasites in the past few years. Physiological parameters such as host adaptation, virulence, exoerythrocytic development, in vitro growth of erythrocytic stages, and drug sensitivity are of particular importance to epidemiologists. Advances in enzyme analysis, 2-dimensional protein electrophoresis, and nucleic acid analysis have produced several new techniques that can be applied to the malaria parasite. Similarly, antigenic characterization is expected to progress as a result of technical improvements. Many of the biological parameters are needed for the study of parasite genetics, a field which has expanded greatly through the development of cloning techniques. The latter also hold interest for the production, and the future use in research, of biologically well characterized standard clones. In this connexion, the cryopreservation and banking of malaria parasites deserve attention, in order to ensure the supply of well defined, viable isolates and clones to interested research workers.