Cerebral malaria is the most severe complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection and accounts for a large number of malaria fatalities worldwide. Recent studies demonstrated that C5(-/-) mice are resistant to experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) and suggested that protection was due to loss of C5a-induced inflammation. Surprisingly, we observed that C5aR(-/-) mice were fully susceptible to disease, indicating that C5a is not required for ECM. C3aR(-/-) and C3aR(-/-) × C5aR(-/-) mice were equally susceptible to ECM as were wild-type mice, indicating that neither complement anaphylatoxin receptor is critical for ECM development. In contrast, C9 deposition in the brains of mice with ECM suggested an important role for the terminal complement pathway. Treatment with anti-C9 Ab significantly increased survival time and reduced mortality in ECM. Our data indicate that protection from ECM in C5(-/-) mice is mediated through inhibition of membrane attack complex formation and not through C5a-induced inflammation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1100603 | DOI Listing |
Background And Aim: Cerebral malaria in Gambian children has been studied but there is limited information on CM in adults. The study assesses the clinical features and outcome of CM in adult patients admitted at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital.
Method: This was a retrospective review of all adult patients with malaria admitted to the internal medicine department from October 18, 2020 to February 2, 2022.
Pathogens
November 2024
Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale (CRMBM) UMR 7339, Faculté des Sciences Médicales et Paramédicales la Timone, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, 13055 Marseille, France.
Cerebral malaria (CM), the most lethal clinical syndrome of infection, mostly affects children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa. CM is characterized by seizures and impaired consciousness that lead to death in 15-20% of cases if treated quickly, but it is completely fatal when untreated. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an invaluable source of information on the pathophysiology of brain damage, but, due to limited access to scanners in endemic regions, only until very recently have case reports of CM patients studied with advanced MRI methods been published.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrends Parasitol
January 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne 3000, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne 3000, Australia.
In Plasmodium falciparum malaria, infected cells accumulate in blood vessels of organs, including the brain. Recently, Reyes et al. identified monoclonal antibodies that stop infected cells from binding to the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) in a model of brain blood vessels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Medical Technology Program, Faculty of Science, Nakhon Phanom University, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand.
Interferon γ-induced protein 10 kDa (IP-10) or C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) is produced and secreted from specific leukocytes such as neutrophils, eosinophils, and monocytes, which play key roles in the immune response to Plasmodium infections. This systematic review aimed to collate and critically appraise the current evidence on IP-10 levels in malaria patients. It provided insights into its role in malaria pathogenesis and potential as a biomarker for Plasmodium infections and disease severity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIran J Parasitol
January 2024
Department of Internal Medicine, Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
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