Plasmodium falciparum Rosette Formation Assay

[Abstract] Rosetting, i.e. the capacity of red blood cells (iRBCs) infected with mature parasite stages to bind two or more uninfected red blood cells (RBCs) is a virulence factor of Plasmodium falciparum. This protocol describes an in vitro assay to monitor rosette formation by P. falciparum-infected red blood cells, including procedures for rosette enrichment, maintenance of rosetting phenotype and assays for rosetting with RBC labeled using lipophilic fluorescent probes.