Infecção do macaco sul americano "saguí" (Callitrix jacchus, Linneu 1758) com o Plasmodium Knowlesi

Abstract

Foram observadas infecções no macaco americano "Sagui" (Callitrix jacchus, Linneu 1758), quando inoculados com Plasmodium knowlesi. Inoculações massiças intra-venosas, são mortais em cerca de 10 dias. Com inoculações intra-musculares de menores quantidades de parasitos, foram verificados alguns casos de curas espontaneas. As características morfológicas e o seu conhecido ciclo de 24 horas taes como observados na infecção do macaco Rhesus, permanecem as mesmas no macaco estudado. O vigor do "sagui" em cativeiro é nitidamente inferior ao do "Rhesus" mas como seu preço de custo é trinta vezes menor, deve ser êle considerado como mais um animal útil para as pesquisas em malaria experimental.<br>Infection of the South American monkey “Sagui” (Callitrix jachus Linneu 1758) after inoculation with Plasmodium knowlesi have been observed. Intravenous massive inoculation brings death in about ten days. With intramuscular inoculation of smaller quantities of parasites, expontaneous cures has been verifies several times. The known 24 hours cycle as well as the morphological characteristics of the Plasmodium knowlsesi as observed in Rhesus infections, remains the same in the monkey studied. The vigor or Callitrix jacchus when kept in captivity is definitively less that observed with Rhesus monkeys, but as its buying cost is thirty times less, is could be considered a usefull new experimental animal for malaria research

Plasmodium knowlesi in the marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

“…These studies confirm early observations of Cruz & de Mello (1947) that the common marmoset, C. jacchus, is susceptible to P . knowlesi.…”

“…The animals that survived were all infected by intramuscular inoculation while those that died were inoculated either intravenously or intramuscularly. Cruz & de Mello (1947) observed that, occasionally, marmosets infected by intramuscular routes spontaneously recovered from infection. In addition to animals surviving challenge infections, it was observed in this study that the pre-patent periods were longer than expected of a logarithmically multiplicating parasite.…”

“…Because of these limitations it was decided to investigate whether another primate model might be more suitable for detailed immunological studies. The common marmoset {Callithrix jacchus) has previously been shown to be susceptible to P. knowlesi (Cruz & de Mello, 1947). A unique feature of marmosets is the high incidence of twinning which occurs in about 80 % of all births (Bernirschke, Anderson & Brownhill, 1962;Gengozian, Batson & Eide, 1964).…”

The role ofPlasmodium knowlesiin the history of malaria research

“…As noted above, as well as macaques and man, P. knowlesi will infect many old and new world primate species, including for instance the common marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus ), a particularly tractable laboratory host, but one in which relatively little work has been reported (Cruz and De mello, 1947; Langhorne et al 1979).…”