Mouse Models for Erythrocytic-Stage Malaria

Malaria parasites infect a variety of animals, including reptiles, birds, rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans (1 ). The most commonly studied hosts for biologic, immunologic, and chemotherapeutic studies are rodents and nonhuman primates. The nonhuman primate models of interest are those that are susceptible to the human-infecting malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae , and P. ovale , and the malaria parasites naturally infective to monkeys and apes. Presented here are various combinations of parasite species and strains with primate hosts suitable for various immunologic and chemotherapeutic studies. Of particular interest are those models susceptible to the human malaria parasites. However, parasites naturally infective to monkeys and apes have characteristics that make them very suitable for a variety of laboratory-based investigations.