Fate of haem iron in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Chemical analysis has shown that Plasmodium falciparum trophozoites contain 61±2% of the iron within parasitized erythrocytes, of which 92±6% is located within the food vacuole. Of this, 88±9% is in the form of haemozoin. 57Fe- Mössbauer spectroscopy shows that haemozoin is the only detectable iron species in trophozoites. Electron spectroscopic imaging confirms this conclusion.