P falciparum sequestration in the microcirculation. Postmortem brain smears (magnification ×1000) taken from an adult Vietnamese patient who died of cerebral malaria showing intense packing of IRBCs in the microvasculature. The arrow in panel A indicates an IRBC with a mature trophozoite. The small round bodies to the right are free merozoites and/or malaria pigment after IRBC rupture. The arrow in panel B indicates an intact schizont with a cluster of merozoites within an IRBC. Note the absence of any inflammatory infiltrate. (Courtesy of Dr K. Silamut, Mahidol Oxford Research Unit, Bangkok, Thailand.)