I would like to examine the cause of death in swiss webster mice following infection with P. berghei to see if death is caused by parasitemia alone or by the development of cerebral malaria. I have seen experiments using injection of evans blue to see penetration of brain barrier, but I don't see how this could work in a dead mouse. My background isn't in pathology, so if anyone has a suggestion for an easy read out it is much appreciated.
If the parasitaemia in blood was above 95% (microscopy) then cerebral malaria could have been manifested.Histology can help reveal infiltration in the mouse brain if the cause is cerebral malaria.
You can also do a DNA extraction on brain tissue and look for parasite DNA using PCR, but it depends on your lab facilities and your interests I suppose. Histology would also be good, and shouldn't be too difficult if you are accustomed to looking at blood smears. Good luck!
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