Experimental design.

(A) C57BL/6 mice were separated into four experimental groups that were euthanized on day 5 (5d) or day 21 (21d) post infection (p.i.): noninfected group (control_5d); mice infected with 10⁶ infected red blood cells euthanized on day 5 p.i. (infected_5d); noninfected mice that received treatment with antimalarials (control+treated_21d); and the Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA)-infected group treated with antimalarials and euthanized on day 21 p.i. (infected+treated_21d). (B) Additional experimental groups that were euthanized on day 21 underwent or not a second kidney insult induced with intraperitoneal injections of bovine serum albumin (BSA): noninfected group (control_21d); noninfected mice with BSA-induced renal injury (control+BSA_21d); noninfected mice that received treatment with antimalarials and subsequent BSA injections (control+treated+BSA_21d); PbA-infected mice treated with antimalarials (infected+treated_21d); and PbA-infected mice that were treated and subsequently underwent a second kidney insult (infected+treated+BSA_21d). (C) Parasitemia was determined from blood smears stained with Diff-Quick in all infected groups on day 1 (A), day 5 (B), day 8 (C), and day 21 (D) p.i.