Public healthHolograms to help in fighting malaria

Edinburgh scientists have developed a 3D filming technique that could inform research to stem the spread of malaria.

Creating moving digital holograms of malaria sperm has given researchers fresh insights into the behavior of these tiny life forms.

Understanding how malaria parasites mate could pave the way for improved prevention and control of this deadly disease, which poses a threat to half of the world’s population.

Malaria parasites mate in the gut of mosquitoes, and people can catch the disease when they are bitten by these infected, blood-sucking insects.

Corkscrew action
A University of Edinburgh release reports that scientists from Edinburgh and the Rowland Institute at Harvard University were able to see that malaria sperm move in an irregular, lopsided corkscrew motion.

This enables them to twist to the left or the right, as well as go forwards and backwards, and is thought to help the sperm swim between red blood cells to find female mates.

Important structures
Malaria sperm use microscopic structures, known as flagella, to swim. These structures are important because they are used by many parasites to invade parts of the body. They also perform essential roles in embryonic development, reproduction, and nutrient uptake in all animals.

Scientists say the simple structure of the malaria sperm makes it an excellent model system in which to study flagella in animals.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was funded by the Rowland Institute at Harvard, the Natural Environmental Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Royal Society, and the University of Edinburgh.

— Read more in Laurence G. Wilsona et al., “High-speed holographic microscopy of malaria parasites reveals ambidextrous flagellar waveforms,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (5 November 2013) (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1309934110)