Release of merozoites from Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes could be mediated by a non-explosive event.

Little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying the release of merozoites from malaria-infected erythrocytes. In the present study, video microscopy was carried out, and images throughout the process of merozoite release from Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes were digitized and analyzed. Merozoites were shown to escape from the infected host cell in about 1 s through a single site of the infected erythrocyte membrane, whose dimension was estimated to be 2.5 microm. Merozoites were released together with the residual body containing hemozoin, leaving behind a membranous structure that persisted even after an extended period of observation. Densitometric measurements showed that the cytoplasmic content of the infected erythrocyte did not diffuse out as parasites were released, but was gradually lost thereafter. This would indicate that the release of merozoites from infected erythrocytes is not mediated by an explosive event.