Plasmodium falciparum culture: the benefits of shaking

Despite evidence that the suspension of malaria cultures leads to improved parasite growth, the practice of culturing the parasite under static conditions remains widespread. Here, extending previous work, we have quantified the favourable effects of continuous agitation on three indices of culture growth: (i) parasite yield, (ii) culture synchrony after a synchronisation procedure, and (iii) the prevalence of multiple infections. In addition, we show that under continuous suspension, the time taken for genetically altered parasites to re-populate cultures post-transfection is dramatically reduced.