Morphological changes in Plasmodium berghei following proguanil, sulphadiazine and mepacrine therapy

Abstract

Proguanil, sulphadiazine and mepacrine cause morphological changes in Plasmodium berghei similar to those caused in Plasmodium cynomolgi and in the malaria parasites of man. Proguanil and sulphadiazine attack the early schizonts causing the chromatin to become finely divided and resulting in the degeneration of the parasites. Mepacrine attacks the parasites at all stages of development, especially the ring stage; the cytoplasm of the parasites being affected more than the chromatin.