Multispectral imaging of plasmodium falciparum infected and uninfected sickle disease and sickle trait red blood cells

Abstract

In this work, multispectral imaging technique was used to discriminate between Plasmodium falciparum infected sickle red blood cells (SIRBCs) (sickle cell trait (AS) (AS-IRBCs) and sickle cell disease (SS) (SS-IRBCs)) and their respective uninfected sickle red blood cells (SURBCs) (AS-URBCs, SS-URBCs)). Giemsa stained blood smear slides were prepared from cultured samples of AS-IRBCs, AS-URBCs, SS-IRBCs and SS-URBCs that have been kept for one (D1) and six days (D6). Optical characteristics of SIRBCs and SURBCs in transmission mode showed a general increase in transmitted light intensities for SIRBCs and decreased in transmitted light intensities for URBCs for most of the thirteen (13) excitation wavelengths employed. Principal component analysis revealed 700 nm wavelength as a standard marker for discriminating between SIRBCs and SURBCs for both AS and SS. Other wavelengths (435 nm, 700 nm, and 810 nm) were common markers for AS-IRBCs-D1 and AS-IRBCs-D6 with the 750 nm being a unique marker for AS-IRBCsD6. Whereas 590 nm, 700 nm and 750 nm were found as markers for discriminating between SIRBCs and SURBCs of SS- IRBCs-D1 and SS- IRBCs-D6, 435 nm and 810 nm were unique markers for SS- IRBCs D6 only. This multispectral imaging technique can be envisioned as a tool for diagnosing sickle cell anaemia patients infected with malaria.