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A quantitative long-term cryobiological study of malarial parasites
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
|January 1, 1977
Summary
Long-term storage of malaria parasites in liquid nitrogen vapor is effective for preserving infectivity. Recovery methods, not freezing, cause the most significant parasite loss, emphasizing careful handling post-thaw.
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Cryobiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Cryopreservation is crucial for maintaining viable biological samples.
- Malaria parasite stages require specific conditions for long-term storage.
- Understanding cryopreservation effects on parasite infectivity is vital for research and control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the long-term viability and infectivity of malarial parasite erythrocytic stages after cryopreservation.
- To evaluate the impact of freezing, thawing, and recovery procedures on parasite integrity.
- To determine optimal cryopreservation strategies for different malarial parasite forms.
Main Methods:
- Cryopreservation of malarial parasite erythrocytic stages in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen for 10 years.
- Assessment of parasite infectivity post-thaw.
- Comparison of infectivity loss attributed to cryopreservation versus recovery procedures.
Main Results:
- Indefinite storage in liquid nitrogen vapor maintained parasite infectivity.
- Recovery procedures resulted in greater infectivity loss than freezing and thawing.
- Re-freezing significantly reduced parasite infectivity, highlighting the importance of aliquot storage.
Conclusions:
- Cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen vapor is a highly effective method for long-term storage of malarial parasite erythrocytic stages.
- Optimizing recovery protocols is critical to minimize parasite loss.
- Aliquot storage is recommended to avoid multiple freeze-thaw cycles for malaria parasite samples.