Virulence is associated with daily rhythms in the within-host replication of the malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi

Abstract

Asexually replicating stages of most malaria (Plasmodium spp.) parasite species replicate synchronously within the red blood cells of their vertebrate host. Rhythmicity in this intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) enables parasites to maximise exploitation of the host and align transmission activities with the time of day that mosquito vectors blood feed. The IDC is also responsible for the major pathologies associated with malaria, and plasticity in the parasites rhythm can confer tolerance to antimalarial drugs. Both the severity of infection (virulence) and synchrony of the IDC vary across species and between genotypes of Plasmodium, yet this variation is poorly understood. Theory predicts that virulence and IDC synchrony are negatively correlated and we tested this hypothesis using two closely related genotypes of the rodent malaria model Plasmodium chabaudi that differ markedly in virulence. We also test the predictions that in response to perturbations to the timing (phase) of the IDC schedule relative to the phase of host rhythms (misalignment), the virulent parasite genotype recovers the correct phase relationship faster, incurs less fitness loss, and so, hosts benefit less from misalignment of the virulent genotype. Our predictions are partially supported; the virulent parasite genotype was less synchronous in some circumstances and recovered faster from misalignment. While hosts were less anaemic when infected by misaligned parasites, the extent of this benefit did not depend on parasite virulence. Overall, our results suggest that interventions to perturb the alignment between the IDC schedule and host rhythms, and increase synchrony between parasites within each IDC, could alleviate disease symptoms. However, virulent parasites, which are better at withstanding conventional antimalarial treatment, would also be intrinsically better able to tolerate such interventions.