Fig. 2

Sunlight decreased the growth of late-stage Plasmodium falciparum, but early stages were unaffected. Flow cytometry histograms (a) and statistical analyses (b) showed that early-stage parasites (i – iv) were unaffected by exposure to solar radiation, whereas late-stage parasites (v – viii) were significantly affected. Synchronized early-stage parasites showed no difference in development between cultures maintained in the dark (Dark) and those exposed to sunlight for one hour (Sunlight), while synchronized late-stage parasites showed significantly reduced growth (viii). Statistical comparisons were made between total parasitaemia values and were not significant (ns) or significant at P < 0.001 (triple asterisk). For all comparisons, n = 4