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Rodent malaria parasites suffer from the presence of conspecific clones in three-clone Plasmodium chabaudi infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2003

J. C. DE ROODE ,
A. F. READ ,
B. H. K. CHAN  and
M. J. MACKINNON
J. C. DE ROODE
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, Scotland, UK
A. F. READ
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, Scotland, UK
B. H. K. CHAN
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, Scotland, UK
M. J. MACKINNON
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, Scotland, UK
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Abstract

We studied infection dynamics of Plasmodium chabaudi in mice infected with 3 genetically distinct clones – 1 less virulent than the other 2 – either on their own or in mixtures. During the acute phase of infection, total numbers of asexual parasites in mixed-clone infections were equal to those produced by the 3 clones alone, suggesting strong in-host competition among clones. During the chronic phase of the infection, mixed-clone infections produced more asexual parasites than single-clone infections, suggesting lower levels of competition than during the acute phase, and indicating that a genetically diverse infection is harder to control by the host immune system. Transmission potential over the whole course of infection was lower from mixed-clone infections than from the average of the 3 single-clone infections. These results suggest that in-host competition reduces both growth rate and probability of transmission for individual parasite clones.

Keywords

malariaPlasmodium chabaudivirulenceevolutioncompetitionmixed infections
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 127 , Issue 5 , November 2003 , pp. 411 - 418
Copyright
2003 Cambridge University Press

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