Optical diffraction tomography and image reconstruction to measure host cell alterations caused by divergent Plasmodium species
Jessica Jie Ying Ong, Jeonghun Oh, Xiang Yong Ang, Renugah Naidu, Trang T. T. Chu, Jae Hyoung Im, Umar Manzoor, Tuyet Kha Nguyen, Seok-Won Na, Eun‐Taek Han, Christeen Davis, Won Sun Park, Wanjoo Chun, Hojong Jun, Se Jin Lee, Sunghun Na, Jerry Kok Yen Chan, YongKeun Park, Bruce Russell, Rajesh Chandramohanadas, Jin‐Hee Han
Abstract
Malaria is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Understanding the biological features of various parasite forms is important for the optical diagnosis and defining pathological states, which are often constrained by the lack of ambient visualization approaches. Here, we employ a label-free tomographic technique to visualize the host red blood cell (RBC) remodeling process and quantify changes in biochemical properties arising from parasitization. Through this, we provide a quantitative body of information pertaining to the influence of host cell environment on growth, survival, and replication of P. falciparum and P. vivax in their respective host cells: mature erythrocytes and young reticulocytes. These exquisite three-dimensional measurements of infected red cells demonstrats the potential of evolving 3D imaging to advance our understanding of Plasmodium biology and host-parasite interactions.