A brief illustrated guide to the ultrastructure of Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood stages

Interpretation of the new information arising from the Plasmodium falciparu m Genome Project requires a good working knowledge of the ultrastructure of the parasite; however many aspects of the morphology of this species remai n obscure. Lawrence Bannister, John Hopkins and colleagues here give art il lustrated overview of the three-dimensional (3-D) organization of the meroz oite, ring, trophozoite and schizont stages of the parasite, based on avail able data that include 3-D reconstruction from serial electron microscope s ections. The review describes the chief organelles present in these stages, emphasizing the continuity of structure in addition to specialized, stage- specific features developed during the asexual erythrocytic cycle.