Development of irreversible lesions in the brain, heart and kidney following acute and chronic murine malaria infection

Irreversible pathological lesions were noted in the organs of mice infected with 1 of 3 rodent malaria species: Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi, P. vinckei petteri and P. yoelii nigeriensis at different times during the course of the primary parasitaemia and long after microscopical clearance of the parasites. Moreover, similar lesions were also obtained when parasite levels were kept below 1% by subcurative drug treatment. The frequency and severity of the lesions correlated with the duration of the infection. Accumulation of tissue damage during chronic low-grade malaria infections has implications for the design of control measures.