Plasmodium falciparum genetic crosses in a humanized mouse model.
Vaughan AM., Pinapati RS., Cheeseman IH., Camargo N., Fishbaugher M., Checkley LA., Nair S., Hutyra CA., Nosten FH., Anderson TJC., Ferdig MT., Kappe SHI.
Genetic crosses of phenotypically distinct strains of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are a powerful tool for identifying genes controlling drug resistance and other key phenotypes. Previous studies relied on the isolation of recombinant parasites from splenectomized chimpanzees, a research avenue that is no longer available. Here we demonstrate that human-liver chimeric mice support recovery of recombinant progeny for the identification of genetic determinants of parasite traits and adaptations.