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. 2014 Feb 13;123(7):959-66.
doi: 10.1182/blood-2013-08-520767. Epub 2013 Dec 13.

Molecular evidence for the localization of Plasmodium falciparum immature gametocytes in bone marrow

Ruth Aguilar  1 , Ariel Magallon-Tejada, Ariel H Achtman, Cinta Moraleda, Regina Joice, Pau Cisteró, Connie S N Li Wai Suen, Augusto Nhabomba, Eusebio Macete, Ivo Mueller, Matthias Marti, Pedro L Alonso, Clara Menéndez, Louis Schofield, Alfredo Mayor
Affiliations

Molecular evidence for the localization of Plasmodium falciparum immature gametocytes in bone marrow

Ruth Aguilar et al. Blood. .

Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum immature gametocytes are not observed in peripheral blood. However, gametocyte stages in organs such as bone marrow have never been assessed by molecular techniques, which are more sensitive than optical microscopy. We quantified P falciparum sexual stages in bone marrow (n = 174) and peripheral blood (n = 70) of Mozambican anemic children by quantitative polymerase chain reaction targeting transcripts specific for early (PF14_0748; PHISTa), intermediate (PF13_0247; Pfs48/45), and mature (PF10_0303; Pfs25) gametocytes. Among children positive for the P falciparum housekeeping gene (PF08_0085; ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme gene) in bone marrow (n = 136) and peripheral blood (n = 25), prevalence of immature gametocytes was higher in bone marrow than peripheral blood (early: 95% vs 20%, P < .001; intermediate: 80% vs 16%; P < .001), as were transcript levels (P < .001 for both stages). In contrast, mature gametocytes were more prevalent (100% vs 51%, P < .001) and abundant (P < .001) in peripheral blood than in the bone marrow. Severe anemia (3.57, 95% confidence interval 1.49-8.53) and dyserythropoiesis (6.21, 95% confidence interval 2.24-17.25) were independently associated with a higher prevalence of mature gametocytes in bone marrow. Our results highlight the high prevalence and abundance of early sexual stages in bone marrow, as well as the relationship between hematological disturbances and gametocyte development in this tissue.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
P falciparum gametocyte stages in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) detected by qPCR. (A) Prevalence and standard error of early, intermediate, and mature gametocyte stages. (B) Relative transcript copy numbers expressed as the ratio between copy numbers of gametocyte transcripts and P falciparum ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme transcript. The area of the circle is proportional to the number of observations, and mean copy number and 95% confidence intervals are indicated by horizontal lines. Samples positive for the housekeeping gene are included in the analysis: 136 BM and 25 PB samples.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of P falciparum gametocyte stages in gametocyte-positive bone marrows as detected by microscopy. Prevalence and standard error of the different gametocyte stages in bone marrow samples that are gametocyte-positive by microscopy (n = 27).
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