Imaging analysis of the brain in a primate model of cerebral malaria

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To elucidate the clinical features of cerebral malaria, we performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) infected with Plasmodium coatneyi, a primate model of severe human malaria with cerebral involvement. Although the monkey exhibited severe clinical signs, MR imaging did not reveal any significant changes during the course of infection. Histopathologic examination frequently revealed preferential sequestration of PRBCs in the cerebral and cerebellum capillaries, but neither parenchymal injury nor neuronal necrosis was found in the tissues. These results suggest that heterogeneous metabolic reduction and lack of abnormalities on MRI in the acute phase of CM may be due to may be due to any avoidance mechanisms from ischemia caused by sequestration. This may be one reason why more than half of CM patients have no neurological sequelae following recovery.