BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum immature gametocytes accumulate in the bone marrow, but their exact location in this tissue remains unclear. METHODS: The stage and deposition pattern of gametocytes was analysed on histological sections of a bone marrow sample collected in a patient with subacute P. falciparum malaria. RESULTS: A majority (89%) of immature stages II to IV gametocytes and a minority (29%) of mature stage V gametocytes were observed in extravascular spaces. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These observations represent a valuable step towards understanding sequestration patterns of P. falciparum gametocytes and may ultimately lead to novel transmission-blocking interventions.
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Farfour et al. (2012) studied this question.
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