Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
15
AtomicForceMicroscopyasaNanotoolto
Investigate
Malaria-InfectedErythrocytes
BruceRussell,AngLi,andChweeTeckLim
DivisionofBioengineeringandDepartmentofMechanicalEngineering,
NationalUniversityofSingapore,Singapore
CONTENTS
15.1. The.Threat.of.Malaria.to.Humanity.............................................................................. 303
15.2. How.and.Why.Malaria.Parasites.Alter.the.Host.Red.Blood.Cell.............................. 303
15.3. Traditional.Methods.to.Investigate.the.Surface.Morphology.
of.Malaria-Infected.Red.Cells......................................................................................... 304
15.4. An.Emerging.Tool.for.the.Investigation.of Malaria:.Atomic.Force.Microscopy..... 305
15.5. Key.Methodological.Considerations.for.AFM.Scanning.of.
Plasmodium
spp..IRBCs.......................................................................................................................... 307
15.6. The.Nanotopography.of.Red.Cells.Infected.with
Plasmodium
.spp........................... 308
15.7. Conclusions.and.Future.Outlook................................................................................... 310
Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................... 310
References..................................................................................................................................... 310
15.1 TheThreatofMalariatoHumanity
Malaria. is. a. life-threatening. disease. endemic. in. over. 100. countries.. Although. conserva-
tive. estimates. suggest. that. 200. million. people. suffer. from. malaria,. recent. data. put. the.
igure.closer.to.600.million.
1,2
.Malaria.is.caused.by.an.intracellular.protozoan.of.the.genus.
Plasmodium
.and.is.transmitted.by.the.
Anopheles
.mosquito..Human.malaria.is.caused.by.ive.
species.of.
Plasmodium
spp..listed.in.order.of.importance:.
Plasmodium falciparum
,.
Plasmodium
vivax
,.
Plasmodium malariae
,.
Plasmodium ovale
,.and.
Plasmodium knowlesi
..The.irst.two.species,.
P. falciparum
and
P. vivax
,.account.for.almost.all.malaria.cases,.and.the.former.is.primarily.
responsible.for.the.1-2.million.malaria-related.deaths.in.sub-Saharan.Africa.
15.2 HowandWhyMalariaParasitesAltertheHostRedBloodCell
Plasmodium
.spp..have.a.complex.life.cycle.in.the.human.host.(liver.and.blood.stages).and.
mosquito.vector;.however,.the.symptoms.of.malaria.are.entirely.due.to.the.life.cycle.of.
the. parasite. within. the. erythrocyte. or. red. blood. cell.. Soon. after. the. merozoite. enters.
303
