Plasmodium berghei 3747673 219596519 2008-06-16T00:35:41Z ClueBot 4928500 Reverting possible vandalism by [[Special:Contributions/69.249.55.170|69.249.55.170]] to version by SmackBot. False positive? [[User:ClueBot/FalsePositives|Report it]]. Thanks, [[User:ClueBot]]. (419627) (Bot) {{Taxobox | color = khaki | name = ''Plasmodium berghei'' | image_caption = Blood forms in red blood cells | image = Berghei_01.png | image_width = 250px | regnum = [[Protista]] | phylum = [[Apicomplexa]] | classis = [[Aconoidasida]] | ordo = [[Haemosporida]] | familia = [[Plasmodiidae]] | genus = ''[[Plasmodium]]'' | species = '''''P. berghei''''' | binomial = ''Plasmodium berghei'' }} '''Plasmodium berghei''' is a unicellular [[parasite]] ([[protozoan]]) and is one of the many species of [[malaria]] parasites that infect mammals other than humans. ''P. berghei'' is one of the four ''[[Plasmodium]]'' species that have been described in African [[Murinae|murine]] [[rodent]]s. <div style='border: 1px solid #000; width: 315px; padding: 5px'> The four malaria parasites of African murine rodents: * ''Plasmodium berghei'' * ''[[Plasmodium chabaudi]]'' * ''[[Plasmodium vinckei]]'' * ''[[Plasmodium yoelii]]'' </div> These are not of direct practical concern to man or his domestic animals. The interest of these parasites is that they are practical [[model organisms]] in the laboratory for the experimental study of human [[malaria]]. == Description == This species was first described by Vincke and Lips in [[1948]] in the [[Belgian Congo]]. <ref name="Vinke1948"> Vincke, I.H. and Lips, M. (1948) Un nouveau plasmodium d'un rongeur sauvage du Congo: ''Plasmodium berghei'' n.sp. Annales de la Société Belge de Médecine Tropicale 28, 97-104 </ref> == Geographical occurrence == ''P. berghei'' is found in the forests of [[Central Africa]], where its natural cyclic hosts are the thicket rat (''[[Grammomys surdaster]]'') and the [[mosquito]] (''[[Anopheles]] dureni''). == Research == Rodent malaria parasites are used in many research institutes for studies aiming at the development of new [[drugs]] or a [[vaccine]] against malaria. In the laboratory the natural hosts have been replaced by a number of commercially available laboratory mouse strains, and the mosquito ''[[Anopheles stephensi]]'', which is comparatively easily reared and maintained under defined laboratory conditions [[Rodent]] parasites are recognised as valuable model organisms for the investigation of human [[malaria]] because they are similar in most essential aspects of morphology, physiology and life cycle and the manipulation of the complete lifecycle of these parasites, including mosquito infections, is simple and safe. Like all malaria parasites of [[mammals]], including the four human [[malaria]] parasites, ''P. berghei'' is transmitted by ''[[Anopheles]]'' mosquitoes and it infects the liver after being injected into the bloodstream by a bite of an infected female mosquito. After a short period (a few days) of development and multiplication, these parasites leave the liver and invade [[erythrocytes]] (red blood cells). The multiplication of the parasite in the blood causes the pathology such as [[anaemia]] and damage of essential organs of the host such as lungs, liver, spleen. ''P. berghei'' infections may also affect the brain and can be the cause of cerebral complications in laboratory mice. These symptoms are to a certain degree comparable to symptoms of cerebral malaria in patients infected with the human malaria parasite ''[[Plasmodium falciparum]]''. The complete [[genome]] of ''P. berghei'' has been sequenced and it shows a high similarity, both in structure and [[gene]] content, with the genome of the human malaria parasite ''[[Plasmodium falciparum]]''. [[Image:Berghei 02.png|thumb|150px|left|Live ''P. berghei'' parasites (green) in [[erythrocytes]]. These transgenic parasites can be visualised using a fluorescence microscope as a result of expressing the fluorescent reporter [[Green Fluorescent Protein]] (GFP)]] ''P. berghei'' can be genetically manipulated in the laboratory using standard [[genetic engineering]] technologies. Consequently this parasite is often used for the analysis of the function of malaria genes using the technology of [[genetic modification]]. A number of genetically modified ''P. berghei'' lines have been generated which express fluorescent reporter proteins such as [[Green Fluorescent Protein]] (GFP) or [[bioluminescent]] reporters such as [[Luciferase]]. These transgenic parasites are important tools to study and visualize the parasites in the living host [[Image:Berghei 03.png|thumb|150px|right|''P. berghei'' parasites in blood capillaries of the lungs, spleen and [[adipose tissue]] in a live mouse. Visualisation is performed by measuring [[bioluminescence]] (green/yellow) of transgenic parasites expressing the bioluminescent reporter protein [[Luciferase]]]] The use of this model malaria parasite has provided biologists and medical researchers with more insight into: - The interactions of malaria parasites with the [[immune system]]. - The process of infection of the liver by malaria parasites. - The cause of severe pathology, such as cerebral complications in malaria patients. - The infection of the mosquito and transmission of the parasite by the mosquito. Moreover, ''P. berghei'' is used in research programs for development and screening of anti-malarial drugs and for the development of an effective vaccine against malaria. ==References== <!-- --------------------------------------------------------------- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a discussion of different citation methods and how to generate footnotes using the <ref> & </ref> tags and the {{Reflist}} template -------------------------------------------------------------------- --> {{Reflist}} == External links == ;General information about (the biology of) ''P. berghei'': *[http://www.lumc.nl/1040/research/malaria/model02.html www.lumc.nl/1040/research/malaria/model02.html] ;Images of rodent malaria parasites: *[http://www.culleton.org/rodent.html www.culleton.org/rodent.html] ;Information about the genome and genes of ''P. berghei'': *[http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/P_berghei/ www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/P_berghei/] *[http://www.genedb.org/genedb/pberghei/index.jsp www.genedb.org/genedb/pberghei/index.jsp] *[http://www.plasmodb.org/plasmo/home.jsp www.plasmodb.org/plasmo/home.jsp] *[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/Malaria/Rodent/index.html www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/Malaria/Rodent/index.html] [[Category:Apicomplexa]] [[Category:Malaria]]