Sequestration pattern of parasitized erythrocytes in cerebrum, mid-brain, and cerebellum of Plasmodium coatneyi-infected rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract

Six rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) infected with Plasmodium coatneyi were studied for parasitized red blood cell (PRBC) sequestration in microvessels of the brain. The degree of PRBC sequestration is different in the cerebral, mid-brain, and cerebellar microvessels, with sequestration occurring preferentially in the cerebellum. This pattern resembles that of PRBC sequestration in cerebral and cerebellar microvessels in human falciparum malaria. The morphologic appearance of sequestered cells under light and electron microscopy as well as the PRBC sequestration pattern bolsters the contention that the rhesus monkey infected with P. coatneyi is an appropriate primate model for the experimental study of human cerebral malaria.