Figure 1.

Observation of P. falciparum in a human erythrocyte. Using our freeze-fracture EM method, infected P. falciparum parasites were clearly observed inside human erythrocytes (white arrowheads). Double arrows indicate the erythrocyte plasma membrane. The labeling of anti-GM3 antibody was seen on the P. falciparum plasma membrane (A, B). The rectangle in A is magnified in panel B. In the lower panels of A and B, the plasma membrane and the cytoplasm region of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes are colored with orange and yellow, respectively. White arrows indicate the luminal leaflet of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. Scale bars: 1 μm (A) and 500 nm (B).