Plasmodium vivax under the microscope: the Aotus model

The Aotus model for vivax malaria is extremely useful both as a source of living parasites in non-endemic areas, and as a model for vaccine and drug development research. Several species of New World primates can be infected with numerous different strains of Plasmodium vivax. This article reviews some aspects of the Aotus model, discusses the frequently observed hematological changes that can confound interpretation of hemogram data during the course of vivax infection, and provides a partial atlas of parasite forms and Aotus nancymai blood cells.