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Kimenyi KM, Akinyi MY, Mwikali K, Gilmore T, Mwangi S, Omer E, Gichuki B, Wambua J, Njunge J, Obiero G, Bejon P, Langhorne J, Abdi A, Ochola-Oyier LI. Distinct transcriptomic signatures define febrile malaria depending on initial infective states, asymptomatic or uninfected. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:140. [PMID: 38287287 PMCID: PMC10823747 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-08973-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cumulative malaria parasite exposure in endemic regions often results in the acquisition of partial immunity and asymptomatic infections. There is limited information on how host-parasite interactions mediate the maintenance of chronic symptomless infections that sustain malaria transmission. METHODS Here, we determined the gene expression profiles of the parasite population and the corresponding host peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 21 children (< 15 years). We compared children who were defined as uninfected, asymptomatic and those with febrile malaria. RESULTS Children with asymptomatic infections had a parasite transcriptional profile characterized by a bias toward trophozoite stage (~ 12 h-post invasion) parasites and low parasite levels, while early ring stage parasites were characteristic of febrile malaria. The host response of asymptomatic children was characterized by downregulated transcription of genes associated with inflammatory responses, compared with children with febrile malaria,. Interestingly, the host responses during febrile infections that followed an asymptomatic infection featured stronger inflammatory responses, whereas the febrile host responses from previously uninfected children featured increased humoral immune responses. CONCLUSIONS The priming effect of prior asymptomatic infection may explain the blunted acquisition of antibody responses seen to malaria antigens following natural exposure or vaccination in malaria endemic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin M Kimenyi
- KEMRI‑Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Kioko Mwikali
- KEMRI‑Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | - Shaban Mwangi
- KEMRI‑Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Elisha Omer
- KEMRI‑Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | | | - James Njunge
- KEMRI‑Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - George Obiero
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Philip Bejon
- KEMRI‑Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Leisewitz AL, Mrljak V, Dear JD, Birkenheuer A. The Diverse Pathogenicity of Various Babesia Parasite Species That Infect Dogs. Pathogens 2023; 12:1437. [PMID: 38133320 PMCID: PMC10746086 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Babesia species infect a very wide range of mammal hosts across the globe, and zoonotic infections are of growing concern. Several species of the Babesia genus infect dogs, and some of these cause significant morbidity and mortality. The Apicomplexan parasite resides within the red cell and infections result in direct damage to the host through intra- and extravascular hemolysis. An exuberant inflammatory response by the host to some species of Babesia parasites also results in significant collateral damage to the host. Canine infections have been the subject of many studies as the well-being of these companion animals is increasingly threatened by the spread of tick vectors and an increasingly mobile dog population. There are currently no widely available and effective vaccines, and effective treatment can be challenging. Understanding disease pathogenesis underlies the development of new treatments. The varying pathogenicity of the various Babesia parasite species that infect dogs offers an opportunity to explore the molecular basis for the wide range of diseases caused by infection with this parasite genus. In this review, we focus on what has been reported about the clinical presentation of Babesia-infected dogs in an attempt to compare the severity of disease caused by different Babesia species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew L. Leisewitz
- Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Vladimir Mrljak
- Clinic for Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jonathan D. Dear
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Adam Birkenheuer
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
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3
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van Eijk AM, Stepniewska K, Hill J, Taylor SM, Rogerson SJ, Cottrell G, Chico RM, Gutman JR, Tinto H, Unger HW, Yanow SK, Meshnick SR, Ter Kuile FO, Mayor A. Prevalence of and risk factors for microscopic and submicroscopic malaria infections in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health 2023; 11:e1061-e1074. [PMID: 37276878 PMCID: PMC10880462 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00194-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria infections during pregnancy can cause adverse birth outcomes, yet many infections are undetected by microscopy. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of submicroscopic malaria infections in pregnant women in Asia, the Americas, and Africa using aggregated and individual participant data (IPD). METHODS For this systematic review and meta-analysis, studies (published Jan 1, 1997 to Nov 10, 2021) with information on both microscopic and submicroscopic infections during pregnancy from Asia, the Americas, or Africa, identified in the Malaria-in-Pregnancy Library, were eligible. Studies (or subgroups or study groups) that selected participants on the basis of the presence of fever or a positive blood smear were excluded to avoid selection bias. We obtained IPD (when available) and aggregated data. Estimates of malaria transmission intensity and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance, matched by study location and year, were obtained using publicly available data. One-stage multivariable logit and multinomial models with random intercepts for study site were used in meta-analysis to assess prevalence of and risk factors for submicroscopic infections during pregnancy and at delivery. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42015027342. FINDINGS The search identified 87 eligible studies, 68 (78%) of which contributed to the analyses. Of these 68 studies, 45 (66%) studies contributed IPD (48 869 participants) and 23 (34%) studies contributed aggregated data (11 863 participants). During pregnancy, median prevalence estimates were 13·5% (range 0·0-55·9, 66 substudies) for submicroscopic and 8·0% (0·0-50·6, 66 substudies) for microscopic malaria. Among women with positive Plasmodium nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), the median proportion of submicroscopic infections was 58·7% (range 0·0-100); this proportion was highest in the Americas (73·3%, 0·0-100), followed by Asia (67·2%, 36·4-100) and Africa (56·5%, 20·5-97·7). In individual patient data analysis, compared with women with no malaria infections, those with submicroscopic infections were more likely to present with fever in Africa (adjusted odds ratio 1·32, 95% CI 1·02-1·72; p=0·038) but not in other regions. Among women with NAAT-positive infections in Asia and the Americas, Plasmodium vivax infections were more likely to be submicroscopic than Plasmodium falciparum infections (3·69, 2·45-5·54; p<0·0001). Risk factors for submicroscopic infections among women with NAAT-positive infections in Africa included older age (age ≥30 years), multigravidity, and no HIV infection. INTERPRETATION During pregnancy, submicroscopic infections are more common than microscopic infections and are associated with fever in Africa. Malaria control in pregnancy should target both microscopic and submicroscopic infections. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria van Eijk
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Kasia Stepniewska
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jenny Hill
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Steve M Taylor
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Stephen J Rogerson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - R Matthew Chico
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Julie R Gutman
- Malaria Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Halidou Tinto
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sant-Unité de Recherche Clinique de Nanoro, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Holger W Unger
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK; Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Stephanie K Yanow
- School of Public Health, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Steven R Meshnick
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Feiko O Ter Kuile
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Alfredo Mayor
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique
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Vialard F, Allaeys I, Dong G, Phan MP, Singh U, Hébert MJ, Dieudé M, Langlais D, Boilard E, Labbé DP, Olivier M. Thermoneutrality and severe malaria: investigating the effect of warmer environmental temperatures on the inflammatory response and disease progression. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1128466. [PMID: 37350957 PMCID: PMC10283000 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1128466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Most studies using murine disease models are conducted at housing temperatures (20 - 22°C) that are sub-optimal (ST) for mice, eliciting changes in metabolism and response to disease. Experiments performed at a thermoneutral temperature (TT; 28 - 31°C) have revealed an altered immune response to pathogens and experimental treatments in murine disease model that have implications for their translation to clinical research. How such conditions affect the inflammatory response to infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) and disease progression is unknown. We hypothesized that changes in environmental temperature modulate immune cells and modify host response to malaria disease. To test this hypothesis, we conducted experiments to determine: (1) the inflammatory response to malarial agents injection in a peritonitis model and (2) disease progression in PbA-infected mice at TT compared to ST. Methods In one study, acclimatized mice were injected intraperitoneally with native hemozoin (nHZ) or Leishmania at TT (28 - 31°C) or ST, and immune cells, cytokine, and extracellular vesicle (EV) profiles were determined from the peritoneal cavity (PEC) fluid. In another study, PbA-infected mice were monitored until end-point (i.e. experimental malaria score ≥4). Results We found that Leishmania injection resulted in decreased cell recruitment and higher phagocytosis of nHZ in mice housed at TT. We found 398 upregulated and 293 downregulated proinflammatory genes in mice injected with nHZ, at both temperatures. We report the presence of host-derived EVs never reported before in a murine parasitic murine model at both temperatures. We observed metabolic changes in mice housed at TT, but these did not result to noticeable changes in disease progression compared to ST. Discussion To our knowledge, these experiments are the first to investigate the effect of thermoneutrality on a malaria murine model. We found important metabolic difference in mice housed at TT. Our results offer insights on how thermoneutrality might impact a severe malaria murine model and directions for more targeted investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorella Vialard
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Isabelle Allaeys
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - George Dong
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Minh Phuong Phan
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Urvashi Singh
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University Genome Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marie Josée Hébert
- Centre de Recherche, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Mélanie Dieudé
- Centre de Recherche, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Département Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - David Langlais
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University Genome Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Eric Boilard
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - David P. Labbé
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Martin Olivier
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Pires CV, Chawla J, Simmons C, Gibbons J, Adams JH. Heat-shock responses: systemic and essential ways of malaria parasite survival. Curr Opin Microbiol 2023; 73:102322. [PMID: 37130502 PMCID: PMC10247345 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2023.102322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Fever is a part of the human innate immune response that contributes to limiting microbial growth and development in many infectious diseases. For the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, survival of febrile temperatures is crucial for its successful propagation in human populations as well as a fundamental aspect of malaria pathogenesis. This review discusses recent insights into the biological complexity of the malaria parasite's heat-shock response, which involves many cellular compartments and essential metabolic processes to alleviate oxidative stress and accumulation of damaged and unfolded proteins. We highlight the overlap between heat-shock and artemisinin resistance responses, while also explaining how the malaria parasite adapts its fever response to fight artemisinin treatment. Additionally, we discuss how this systemic and essential fight for survival can also contribute to parasite transmission to mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla V Pires
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Jyotsna Chawla
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States; Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Caroline Simmons
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States; Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Justin Gibbons
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - John H Adams
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States; Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States.
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Suwandi JF, Kurniawan A, Susanto L. Determinant of parasite clearance and density on uncomplicated falciparum malaria infections in malaria-endemic area of Lampung Province, Indonesia. PARASITES, HOSTS AND DISEASES 2023; 61:147-153. [PMID: 37258261 DOI: 10.3347/phd.22073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Lampung is a malaria-endemic region in Indonesia with an annual parasite incidence of 0.06 per 1,000 population. The socio-demographic factors, clinical conditions, and artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) types might affect parasite clearance and parasite density. This study aims to investigate factors that influence parasite clearance and parasite density in malaria patients. A retrospective analytic observational and a cross-sectional approach was used to conduct this study. A total of 66 malaria patients were examined to investigate parasite density and clearance, socio-demographic profiles, clinical conditions, and ACT types. To analyze data, univariate, bivariate, and multivariate tests were used. Age (P=0.045; r=0.238) and ACT type (P=0.021; r=0.273) were the only variables that had a significant correlation with parasite clearance. Age (P=0.003; r=0.345) had a significant correlation with parasite density. The most influential factors related to parasite clearance were the ACT type (dihydroartemisinin piperaquine) (P=0.017; odds ratio (OR) 0.109; 95.0% confidence interval (CI), 0.018-0.675) and age (P=0.030; OR 0.132; 95.0% CI, 0.021-0.823). Age (P=0.046; OR 0.320; 0.105-0.978, 95.0% CI) was the most significant variable associated with parasite density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhons Fatriyadi Suwandi
- Program Study of Clinical Parasitology Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lampung, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia
| | - Agnes Kurniawan
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Lisawati Susanto
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
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Bhattacharjee S, Ghosh D, Saha R, Sarkar R, Kumar S, Khokhar M, Pandey RK. Mechanism of Immune Evasion in Mosquito-Borne Diseases. Pathogens 2023; 12:635. [PMID: 37242305 PMCID: PMC10222277 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, mosquito-borne illnesses have emerged as a major health burden in many tropical regions. These diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika virus infection, Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile virus infection, are transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. These pathogens have been shown to interfere with the host's immune system through adaptive and innate immune mechanisms, as well as the human circulatory system. Crucial immune checkpoints such as antigen presentation, T cell activation, differentiation, and proinflammatory response play a vital role in the host cell's response to pathogenic infection. Furthermore, these immune evasions have the potential to stimulate the human immune system, resulting in other associated non-communicable diseases. This review aims to advance our understanding of mosquito-borne diseases and the immune evasion mechanisms by associated pathogens. Moreover, it highlights the adverse outcomes of mosquito-borne disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Debanjan Ghosh
- Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Rounak Saha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Rima Sarkar
- DBT Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram 695014, India
| | - Saurav Kumar
- DBT Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram 695014, India
| | - Manoj Khokhar
- Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS, Jodhpur 342005, India
| | - Rajan Kumar Pandey
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Solna, Sweden
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Patterns of Heterochromatin Transitions Linked to Changes in the Expression of Plasmodium falciparum Clonally Variant Genes. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0304922. [PMID: 36515553 PMCID: PMC9927496 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03049-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The survival of malaria parasites in the changing human blood environment largely depends on their ability to alter gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms. The active state of Plasmodium falciparum clonally variant genes (CVGs) is associated with euchromatin characterized by the histone mark H3K9ac, whereas the silenced state is characterized by H3K9me3-based heterochromatin. Expression switches are linked to euchromatin-heterochromatin transitions, but these transitions have not been characterized for the majority of CVGs. To define the heterochromatin distribution patterns associated with the alternative transcriptional states of CVGs, we compared H3K9me3 occupancy at a genome-wide level among several parasite subclones of the same genetic background that differed in the transcriptional state of many CVGs. We found that de novo heterochromatin formation or the complete disruption of a heterochromatin domain is a relatively rare event, and for the majority of CVGs, expression switches can be explained by the expansion or retraction of heterochromatin domains. We identified different modalities of heterochromatin changes linked to transcriptional differences, but despite this complexity, heterochromatin distribution patterns generally enable the prediction of the transcriptional state of specific CVGs. We also found that in some subclones, several var genes were simultaneously in an active state. Furthermore, the heterochromatin levels in the putative regulatory region of the gdv1 antisense noncoding RNA, a regulator of sexual commitment, varied between parasite lines with different sexual conversion rates. IMPORTANCE The malaria parasite P. falciparum is responsible for more than half a million deaths every year. P. falciparum clonally variant genes (CVGs) mediate fundamental host-parasite interactions and play a key role in parasite adaptation to fluctuations in the conditions of the human host. The expression of CVGs is regulated at the epigenetic level by changes in the distribution of a type of chromatin called heterochromatin. Here, we describe at a genome-wide level the changes in the heterochromatin distribution associated with the different transcriptional states of CVGs. Our results also reveal a likely role for heterochromatin at a particular locus in determining the parasite investment in transmission to mosquitoes. Additionally, this data set will enable the prediction of the transcriptional state of CVGs from epigenomic data, which is important for the study of parasite adaptation to the conditions of the host in natural malaria infections.
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Weiland AS. Recent Advances in Imported Malaria Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management. CURRENT EMERGENCY AND HOSPITAL MEDICINE REPORTS 2023; 11:49-57. [PMID: 37213266 PMCID: PMC10091340 DOI: 10.1007/s40138-023-00264-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Malaria is an important human parasitic disease affecting the population of tropical, subtropical regions as well as travelers to these areas.The purpose of this article is to provide clinicians practicing in non-endemic areas with a comprehensive overview of the recent data on microbiologic and pathophysiologic features of five Plasmodium parasites, clinical presentation of uncomplicated and severe cases, modern diagnostic methods, and treatment of malaria. Recent Findings Employment of robust surveillance programs, rapid diagnostic tests, highly active artemisinin-based therapy, and the first malaria vaccine have led to decline in malaria incidence; however, emerging drug resistance, disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other socio-economic factors have stalled the progress. Summary Clinicians practicing in non-endemic areas such as the United States should consider a diagnosis of malaria in returning travelers presenting with fever, utilize rapid diagnostic tests if available at their practice locations in addition to microscopy, and timely initiate guideline-directed management as delays in treatment can lead to poor clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia S. Weiland
- Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH USA
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CD36-A Host Receptor Necessary for Malaria Parasites to Establish and Maintain Infection. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10122356. [PMID: 36557610 PMCID: PMC9785914 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (PfIEs) present P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 proteins (PfEMP1s) on the cell surface, via which they cytoadhere to various endothelial cell receptors (ECRs) on the walls of human blood vessels. This prevents the parasite from passing through the spleen, which would lead to its elimination. Each P. falciparum isolate has about 60 different PfEMP1s acting as ligands, and at least 24 ECRs have been identified as interaction partners. Interestingly, in every parasite genome sequenced to date, at least 75% of the encoded PfEMP1s have a binding domain for the scavenger receptor CD36 widely distributed on host endothelial cells and many other cell types. Here, we discuss why the interaction between PfIEs and CD36 is optimal to maintain a finely regulated equilibrium that allows the parasite to multiply and spread while causing minimal harm to the host in most infections.
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Ammar AI, El-Hefnawy SM, Shehab-Eldeen S, Essa A, ELnaidany SS, Mostafa RG, Alsalman MH, El-Refai SA. Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Susceptibility and Severity: Influence of MyD88-Adaptor-Like Gene (rs8177374) Polymorphism. Infect Drug Resist 2022; 15:6815-6827. [DOI: 10.2147/idr.s387463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Olatunde AC, Cornwall DH, Roedel M, Lamb TJ. Mouse Models for Unravelling Immunology of Blood Stage Malaria. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1525. [PMID: 36146602 PMCID: PMC9501382 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria comprises a spectrum of disease syndromes and the immune system is a major participant in malarial disease. This is particularly true in relation to the immune responses elicited against blood stages of Plasmodium-parasites that are responsible for the pathogenesis of infection. Mouse models of malaria are commonly used to dissect the immune mechanisms underlying disease. While no single mouse model of Plasmodium infection completely recapitulates all the features of malaria in humans, collectively the existing models are invaluable for defining the events that lead to the immunopathogenesis of malaria. Here we review the different mouse models of Plasmodium infection that are available, and highlight some of the main contributions these models have made with regards to identifying immune mechanisms of parasite control and the immunopathogenesis of malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Tracey J. Lamb
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Emma Eccles Jones Medical Research Building, 15 N Medical Drive E, Room 1420A, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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Almaazmi SY, Singh H, Dutta T, Blatch GL. Exported J domain proteins of the human malaria parasite. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:978663. [PMID: 36120546 PMCID: PMC9470956 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.978663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The heat shock protein 40 (Hsp40) family, also called J domain proteins (JDPs), regulate their Hsp70 partners by ensuring that they are engaging the right substrate at the right time and in the right location within the cell. A number of JDPs can serve as co-chaperone for a particular Hsp70, and so one generally finds many more JDPs than Hsp70s in the cell. In humans there are 13 Hsp70s and 49 JDPs. The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has dedicated an unusually large proportion of its genome to molecular chaperones, with a disproportionately high number of JDPs (PfJDPs) of 49 members. Interestingly, just under half of the PfJDPs are exported into the host cell during the asexual stage of the life cycle, when the malaria parasite invades mature red blood cells. Recent evidence suggests that these PfJDPs may be functionalizing both host and parasite Hsp70s within the infected red blood cell, and thereby driving the renovation of the host cell towards pathological ends. PfJDPs have been found to localize to the host cytosol, mobile structures within the host cytosol (so called “J Dots”), the host plasma membrane, and specialized structures associated with malaria pathology such as the knobs. A number of these exported PfJDPs are essential, and there is growing experimental evidence that they are important for the survival and pathogenesis of the malaria parasite. This review critiques our understanding of the important role these exported PfJDPs play at the host-parasite interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaikha Y. Almaazmi
- Biomedical Research and Drug Discovery Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Harpreet Singh
- Department of Bioinformatics, Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, India
| | - Tanima Dutta
- Vice Chancellery, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia
- The Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
- PathWest Nedlands, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Gregory L. Blatch
- Biomedical Research and Drug Discovery Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Vice Chancellery, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia
- The Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Gregory L. Blatch,
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Seifu BL, Tesema GA. Individual-and community-level factors associated with anemia among children aged 6–23 months in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from 32 sub-Saharan African countries. Arch Public Health 2022; 80:183. [PMID: 35933419 PMCID: PMC9357302 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-022-00950-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Anemia among children aged 6–23 months is a major public health problem worldwide specifically in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Anemia during the childhood period causes significant short-and long-term health consequences. However, there is a paucity of evidence on Anemia among children aged 6–23 months in SSA. Therefore, this study examined the individual- and community-level factors associated with anemia among children aged 6–23 months in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods A secondary data analysis was done based on the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 32 sub-Saharan African countries. A total weighted sample of 51,044 children aged 6–23 months was included for analysis. We have used a multilevel proportional odds model to identify predictors of severity levels of anemia. Variables with p < 0.2 in the bivariable analysis were considered for the multivariable analysis. In the multivariable multilevel proportional odds model, the Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with the 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported to declare the statistical significance and strength of the association. Results In this study, about 76.6% (95% CI: 76.2%, 76.9%) of children aged 6–23 months in sub-Saharan Africa were anemic. In the multivariable multilevel proportional odds model, being female, being aged 18–23 months, higher level of maternal education, being larger size at birth, belonging to a wealthier household, getting four ANC visits and above, advanced maternal age, and belonging to a community with high maternal education were significantly associated with lower odds of higher levels of anemia. On the other hand, being twin birth, being smaller size at birth, being of a higher order of birth, having fever in the last two weeks, and distance to a health facility were significantly associated with higher odds of higher levels of anemia. Conclusion The study found that more than three-fourths of children aged 6–23 months in sub-Saharan Africa were anemic. This finding proved that the severity levels of anemia among children in sub-Saharan Africa remain a serious public health concern. Therefore, to curve this problem enhancing maternal education, promoting maternal health service utilization, and improving health care access is crucial. In addition, health care providers better give special emphasis to twin births, higher-order birth, and those belonging to poor households to reduce the incidence of anemia among children aged 6–23 months in SSA.
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15
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Rehn T, Lubiana P, Nguyen THT, Pansegrau E, Schmitt M, Roth LK, Brehmer J, Roeder T, Cadar D, Metwally NG, Bruchhaus I. Ectopic Expression of Plasmodium vivax vir Genes in P. falciparum Affects Cytoadhesion via Increased Expression of Specific var Genes. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10061183. [PMID: 35744701 PMCID: PMC9230084 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (PfIEs) adhere to endothelial cell receptors (ECRs) of blood vessels mainly via PfEMP1 proteins to escape elimination via the spleen. Evidence suggests that P. vivax-infected reticulocytes (PvIRs) also bind to ECRs, presumably enabled by VIR proteins, as shown by inhibition experiments and studies with transgenic P. falciparum expressing vir genes. To test this hypothesis, our study investigated the involvement of VIR proteins in cytoadhesion using vir gene-expressing P. falciparum transfectants. Those VIR proteins with a putative transmembrane domain were present in Maurer's clefts, and some were also present in the erythrocyte membrane. The VIR protein without a transmembrane domain (PVX_050690) was not exported. Five of the transgenic P. falciparum cell lines, including the one expressing PVX_050690, showed binding to CD36. We observed highly increased expression of specific var genes encoding PfEMP1s in all CD36-binding transfectants. These results suggest that ectopic vir expression regulates var expression through a yet unknown mechanism. In conclusion, the observed cytoadhesion of P. falciparum expressing vir genes depended on PfEMP1s, making this experimental unsuitable for characterizing VIR proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Rehn
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Pedro Lubiana
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Thi Huyen Trang Nguyen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Eva Pansegrau
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Lisa Katharina Roth
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Jana Brehmer
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Thomas Roeder
- Molecular Physiology Department, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany;
- Airway Research Center North (ARCN), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Dániel Cadar
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Nahla Galal Metwally
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Iris Bruchhaus
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
- Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, 22601 Hamburg, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Tintó-Font E, Cortés A. Malaria parasites do respond to heat. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:435-449. [PMID: 35301987 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The capacity of malaria parasites to respond to changes in their environment at the transcriptional level has been the subject of debate, but recent evidence has unambiguously demonstrated that Plasmodium spp. can produce adaptive transcriptional responses when exposed to some specific types of stress. These include metabolic conditions and febrile temperature. The Plasmodium falciparum protective response to thermal stress is similar to the response in other organisms, but it is regulated by a transcription factor evolutionarily unrelated to the conserved transcription factor that drives the heat shock (HS) response in most eukaryotes. Of the many genes that change expression during HS, only a subset constitutes an authentic response that contributes to parasite survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabet Tintó-Font
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alfred Cortés
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Catalonia, Spain; ICREA, Barcelona 08010, Catalonia, Spain.
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17
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Gupta H, Wassmer SC. Harnessing the Potential of miRNAs in Malaria Diagnostic and Prevention. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:793954. [PMID: 34976869 PMCID: PMC8716737 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.793954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite encouraging progress over the past decade, malaria remains a major global health challenge. Its severe form accounts for the majority of malaria-related deaths, and early diagnosis is key for a positive outcome. However, this is hindered by the non-specific symptoms caused by malaria, which often overlap with those of other viral, bacterial and parasitic infections. In addition, current tools are unable to detect the nature and degree of vital organ dysfunction associated with severe malaria, as complications develop silently until the effective treatment window is closed. It is therefore crucial to identify cheap and reliable early biomarkers of this wide-spectrum disease. microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, are rapidly released into the blood circulation upon physiological changes, including infection and organ damage. The present review details our current knowledge of miRNAs as biomarkers of specific organ dysfunction in patients with malaria, and both promising candidates identified by pre-clinical models and important knowledge gaps are highlighted for future evaluation in humans. miRNAs associated with infected vectors are also described, with a view to expandind this rapidly growing field of research to malaria transmission and surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Gupta
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel C. Wassmer
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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The Role of Hsp70s in the Development and Pathogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 34569021 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78397-6_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The main agent of human malaria, the protozoa, Plasmodium falciparum is known to infect liver cells, subsequently invading the host erythrocyte, leading to the manifestation of clinical outcomes of the disease. As part of its survival in the human host, P. falciparum employs several heat shock protein (Hsp) families whose primary purpose is to ensure cytoprotection through their molecular chaperone role. The parasite expresses six Hsp70s that localise to various subcellular organelles of the parasite, with one, PfHsp70-x, being exported to the infected human erythrocyte. The role of these Hsp70s in the survival and pathogenicity of malaria has received immense research attention. Several studies have reported on their structure-function features, network partnerships, and elucidation of their potential substrates. Apart from their role in cytoprotection and pathogenicity, Hsp70s are implicated in antimalarial drug resistance. As such, they are deemed potential antimalarial drug candidates, especially suited for co-targeting in combination therapies. In addition, Hsp70 is implicated in host immune modulation. The current report highlights the various structure-function features of these proteins, their roles in the development of malaria, current and prospective efforts being employed towards targeting them in malaria intervention efforts.
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19
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Tintó-Font E, Michel-Todó L, Russell TJ, Casas-Vila N, Conway DJ, Bozdech Z, Llinás M, Cortés A. A heat-shock response regulated by the PfAP2-HS transcription factor protects human malaria parasites from febrile temperatures. Nat Microbiol 2021; 6:1163-1174. [PMID: 34400833 PMCID: PMC8390444 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-021-00940-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Periodic fever is a characteristic clinical feature of human malaria, but how parasites survive febrile episodes is not known. Although the genomes of Plasmodium species encode a full set of chaperones, they lack the conserved eukaryotic transcription factor HSF1, which activates the expression of chaperones following heat shock. Here, we show that PfAP2-HS, a transcription factor in the ApiAP2 family, regulates the protective heat-shock response in Plasmodium falciparum. PfAP2-HS activates the transcription of hsp70-1 and hsp90 at elevated temperatures. The main binding site of PfAP2-HS in the entire genome coincides with a tandem G-box DNA motif in the hsp70-1 promoter. Engineered parasites lacking PfAP2-HS have reduced heat-shock survival and severe growth defects at 37 °C but not at 35 °C. Parasites lacking PfAP2-HS also have increased sensitivity to imbalances in protein homeostasis (proteostasis) produced by artemisinin, the frontline antimalarial drug, or the proteasome inhibitor epoxomicin. We propose that PfAP2-HS contributes to the maintenance of proteostasis under basal conditions and upregulates specific chaperone-encoding genes at febrile temperatures to protect the parasite against protein damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabet Tintó-Font
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lucas Michel-Todó
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Timothy J. Russell
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, PA, USA
| | - Núria Casas-Vila
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Catalonia, Spain
| | - David J. Conway
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Manuel Llinás
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, PA, USA,Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, PA, USA
| | - Alfred Cortés
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Catalonia, Spain,ICREA, Barcelona 08010, Catalonia, Spain,Correspondence: (Alfred Cortés)
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20
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The apicoplast link to fever-survival and artemisinin-resistance in the malaria parasite. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4563. [PMID: 34315897 PMCID: PMC8316339 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24814-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to front-line antimalarial artemisinin-combination therapies (ACT) threatens to erase the considerable gains against the disease of the last decade. Here, we develop a large-scale phenotypic screening pipeline and use it to carry out a large-scale forward-genetic phenotype screen in P. falciparum to identify genes allowing parasites to survive febrile temperatures. Screening identifies more than 200 P. falciparum mutants with differential responses to increased temperature. These mutants are more likely to be sensitive to artemisinin derivatives as well as to heightened oxidative stress. Major processes critical for P. falciparum tolerance to febrile temperatures and artemisinin include highly essential, conserved pathways associated with protein-folding, heat shock and proteasome-mediated degradation, and unexpectedly, isoprenoid biosynthesis, which originated from the ancestral genome of the parasite’s algal endosymbiont-derived plastid, the apicoplast. Apicoplast-targeted genes in general are upregulated in response to heat shock, as are other Plasmodium genes with orthologs in plant and algal genomes. Plasmodium falciparum parasites appear to exploit their innate febrile-response mechanisms to mediate resistance to artemisinin. Both responses depend on endosymbiont-derived genes in the parasite’s genome, suggesting a link to the evolutionary origins of Plasmodium parasites in free-living ancestors. Repeating fever is a hallmark of malaria. Here, a large-scale forward genetic screen in malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum identifies genes associated with parasite tolerance to host fever, including apicoplast targeted isoprenoid biosynthesis—sharing features with artemisinin resistance.
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21
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Raacke M, Kerr A, Dörpinghaus M, Brehmer J, Wu Y, Lorenzen S, Fink C, Jacobs T, Roeder T, Sellau J, Bachmann A, Metwally NG, Bruchhaus I. Altered Cytokine Response of Human Brain Endothelial Cells after Stimulation with Malaria Patient Plasma. Cells 2021; 10:cells10071656. [PMID: 34359826 PMCID: PMC8303479 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Infections with the deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, are accompanied by a strong immunological response of the human host. To date, more than 30 cytokines have been detected in elevated levels in plasma of malaria patients compared to healthy controls. Endothelial cells (ECs) are a potential source of these cytokines, but so far it is not known if their cytokine secretion depends on the direct contact of the P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IEs) with ECs in terms of cytoadhesion. Culturing ECs with plasma from malaria patients (27 returning travellers) resulted in significantly increased secretion of IL-11, CXCL5, CXCL8, CXCL10, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) if compared to matching controls (22 healthy individuals). The accompanying transcriptome study of the ECs identified 43 genes that were significantly increased in expression (≥1.7 fold) after co-incubation with malaria patient plasma, including cxcl5 and angptl4. Further bioinformatic analyses revealed that biological processes such as cell migration, cell proliferation and tube development were particularly affected in these ECs. It can thus be postulated that not only the cytoadhesion of IEs, but also molecules in the plasma of malaria patients exerts an influence on ECs, and that not only the immunological response but also other processes, such as angiogenesis, are altered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Raacke
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Amy Kerr
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Michael Dörpinghaus
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Jana Brehmer
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Yifan Wu
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Stephan Lorenzen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Christine Fink
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany; (C.F.); (T.R.)
| | - Thomas Jacobs
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Thomas Roeder
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany; (C.F.); (T.R.)
- Airway Research Center North (ARCN), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Julie Sellau
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Nahla Galal Metwally
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Iris Bruchhaus
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.R.); (A.K.); (M.D.); (J.B.); (Y.W.); (S.L.); (T.J.); (J.S.); (A.B.); (N.G.M.)
- Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, 20148 Hamburg, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-404-281-8472
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Prusty D, Gupta N, Upadhyay A, Dar A, Naik B, Kumar N, Prajapati VK. Asymptomatic malaria infection prevailing risks for human health and malaria elimination. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 93:104987. [PMID: 34216796 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
There has been a consistent rise in malaria cases in the last few years. The existing malaria control measures are challenged by insecticide resistance in the mosquito vector, drug résistance in parasite populations, and asymptomatic malaria (ASM) in healthy individuals. The absence of apparent malaria symptoms and the presence of low parasitemia makes ASM a hidden reservoir for malaria transmission and an impediment in malaria elimination efforts. This review focuses on ASM in malaria-endemic countries and the past and present research trends from those geographical locations. The harmful impacts of asymptomatic malaria on human health and its contribution to disease transmission are highlighted. We discuss certain crucial genetic changes in the parasite and host immune response necessary for maintaining low parasitemia leading to long-term parasite survival in the host. Since the chronic health effects and the potential roles for disease transmission of ASM remain mostly unknown to significant populations, we offer proposals for developing general awareness. We also suggest advanced technology-based diagnostic methods, and treatment strategies to eliminate ASM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhaneswar Prusty
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, 305817, Rajasthan, India.
| | - Nidhi Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, 305817, Rajasthan, India
| | - Arun Upadhyay
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, 305817, Rajasthan, India
| | - Ashraf Dar
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Kashmir, Hazaratbal, Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Biswajit Naik
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, 305817, Rajasthan, India
| | - Navin Kumar
- School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, 201308, UP, India
| | - Vijay Kumar Prajapati
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, 305817, Rajasthan, India
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Mathews ES, Jezewski AJ, Odom John AR. Protein Prenylation and Hsp40 in Thermotolerance of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Parasites. mBio 2021; 12:e0076021. [PMID: 34182772 PMCID: PMC8262983 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00760-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
During its complex life cycle, the malaria parasite survives dramatic environmental stresses, including large temperature shifts. Protein prenylation is required during asexual replication of Plasmodium falciparum, and the canonical heat shock protein 40 protein (HSP40; PF3D7_1437900) is posttranslationally modified with a 15-carbon farnesyl isoprenyl group. In other organisms, farnesylation of Hsp40 orthologs controls their localization and function in resisting environmental stress. In this work, we find that plastidial isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) synthesis and protein farnesylation are required for malaria parasite survival after cold and heat shock. Furthermore, loss of HSP40 farnesylation alters its membrane attachment and interaction with proteins in essential pathways in the parasite. Together, this work reveals that farnesylation is essential for parasite survival during temperature stress. Farnesylation of HSP40 may promote thermotolerance by guiding distinct chaperone-client protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily S. Mathews
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Andrew J. Jezewski
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Audrey R. Odom John
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Alvarez DR, Ospina A, Barwell T, Zheng B, Dey A, Li C, Basu S, Shi X, Kadri S, Chakrabarti K. The RNA structurome in the asexual blood stages of malaria pathogen plasmodium falciparum. RNA Biol 2021; 18:2480-2497. [PMID: 33960872 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2021.1926747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum is a deadly human pathogen responsible for the devastating disease called malaria. In this study, we measured the differential accumulation of RNA secondary structures in coding and non-coding transcripts from the asexual developmental cycle in P. falciparum in human red blood cells. Our comprehensive analysis that combined high-throughput nuclease mapping of RNA structures by duplex RNA-seq, SHAPE-directed RNA structure validation, immunoaffinity purification and characterization of antisense RNAs collectively measured differentially base-paired RNA regions throughout the parasite's asexual RBC cycle. Our mapping data not only aligned to a diverse pool of RNAs with known structures but also enabled us to identify new structural RNA regions in the malaria genome. On average, approximately 71% of the genes with secondary structures are found to be protein coding mRNAs. The mapping pattern of these base-paired RNAs corresponded to all regions of mRNAs, including the 5' UTR, CDS and 3' UTR as well as the start and stop codons. Histone family genes which are known to form secondary structures in their mRNAs and transcripts from genes which are important for transcriptional and post-transcriptional control, such as the unique plant-like transcription factor family, ApiAP2, DNA-/RNA-binding protein, Alba3 and proteins important for RBC invasion and malaria cytoadherence also showed strong accumulation of duplex RNA reads in various asexual stages in P. falciparum. Intriguingly, our study determined stage-specific, dynamic relationships between mRNA structural contents and translation efficiency in P. falciparum asexual blood stages, suggesting an essential role of RNA structural changes in malaria gene expression programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Renteria Alvarez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alejandra Ospina
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tiffany Barwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Bo Zheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Abhishek Dey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chong Li
- Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shrabani Basu
- Division of Medical Genetics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Sabah Kadri
- Division of Health and Biomedical Informatics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kausik Chakrabarti
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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Ntonifor HN, Chewa JS, Oumar M, Mbouobda HD. Intestinal helminths as predictors of some malaria clinical outcomes and IL-1β levels in outpatients attending two public hospitals in Bamenda, North West Cameroon. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009174. [PMID: 33651792 PMCID: PMC7924769 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed at determining the impact of intestinal helminths on malaria parasitaemia, anaemia and pyrexia considering the levels of IL-1β among outpatients in Bamenda. A cohort of 358 consented participants aged three (3) years and above, both males and females on malaria consultation were recruited in the study. At enrolment, patients’ axillary body temperatures were measured and recorded. Venous blood was collected for haemoglobin concentration and malaria parasitaemia determination. Blood plasma was used to measure human IL-1β levels using Human ELISA Kit. The Kato-Katz technique was used to process stool samples. Five species of intestinal helminths Ascaris lumbricoides (6.4%), Enterobius vermicularis (5.0%), Taenia species (4.2%), Trichuris trichiura (1.1%) and hookworms (0.8%) were identified. The overall prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum and intestinal helminths was 30.4% (109/358) and 17.6% (63/358) respectively. The prevalence of intestinal helminths in malaria patients was 17.4% (19/109). Higher Geometric mean parasite density (GMPD ±SD) (malaria parasitaemia) was significantly observed in patients co-infected with Enterobius vermicularis (5548 ± 2829/μL, p = 0.041) and with Taenia species (6799 ± 4584/μL, p = 0.020) than in Plasmodium falciparum infected patients alone (651 ± 6076/ μL). Higher parasitaemia of (1393 ± 3031/μL) and (3464 ± 2828/μL) were recorded in patients co-infected with Ascaris lumbricoides and with hookworms respectively but the differences were not significant (p > 0.05). Anaemia and pyrexia prevalence was 27.1% (97/358) and 33.5% (120/358) respectively. Malaria patients co-infected with Enterobius vermicularis and Ascaris lumbricoides had increased risk of anaemia (OR = 13.712, p = 0.002 and OR = 16.969, p = 0.014) respectively and pyrexia (OR = 18.07, p = 0.001 and OR = 22.560, p = 0.007) respectively than their counterparts. Increased levels of IL-1β were significantly observed in anaemic (148.884 ± 36.073 pg/mL, t = 7.411, p = 0.000) and pyretic (127.737 ± 50.322 pg/mL, t = 5.028, p = 0.000) patients than in non-anaemic (64.335 ± 38.995pg/mL) and apyretic patients (58.479 ± 36.194pg/mL). Malaria patients co-infected with each species of intestinal helminths recorded higher IL-1β levels (IL-1β > 121.68 ± 58.86 pg/mL) and the overall mean (139.63 ± 38.33pg/mL) was higher compared with levels in malaria (121.68 ± 58.86 pg/mL) and helminth (61.78 ± 31.69pg/mL) infected patients alone. Intestinal helminths exacerbated the clinical outcomes of malaria in the patients and increased levels of IL-1β were observed in co-infected patients with anaemia, pyrexia and higher parasitaemia. Malaria and intestinal helminthiasis are endemic parasitic diseases in Sub Sahara Africa including Cameroon that has been associated with poverty. Humans are co-infected with these diseases. Intestinal helminths have been reported to improve or exacerbate malaria severities in co-infected patients. The precise mechanism through which they exert this is not well elucidated but there are speculations about possible immunological implications. It is therefore crucial to understand the mechanism how these neglected tropical disease (helminthiasis) impact malaria severities to develop robust integrated public health intervention strategies and treatment protocols that can effectively manage these diseases in endemic zones. In this study, we focused on the impact of these helminths on malaria parasitaemia, anaemia and pyrexia. We examined each patient for malaria and helminth infections while also measuring their haemoglobin concentrations and body temperatures. We found out that patients infected with intestinal helminths had increased risk of malaria infection and exacerbated malaria parasitaemia, anaemia and pyrexia in co-infected patients. We also observed that increased levels of IL-1β were higher in these co-infected patients than in patients infected with malaria parasite or helminths alone. Our study is informative about the possible involvement of intestinal helminths with the immune responses of the host that consequently affects malaria severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Ngum Ntonifor
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon
- * E-mail:
| | - Julius Suh Chewa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon
| | - Mahamat Oumar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon
| | - Hermann Desire Mbouobda
- Department of Biology, Higher Teachers Training College, University of Bamenda, Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon
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Role of Heat Shock Proteins in Immune Modulation in Malaria. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1340:169-186. [PMID: 34569025 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78397-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is one of the major parasitic killer diseases worldwide. Severe cases of malaria are mostly in children under the age of 5 years due to their naïve immune system and in pregnant women with weakened immune responses. Inflammatory immune responses against the parasite involve complement activation as well as the antibody and effector cell-mediated immune system. However, after an infection with Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum), the most dangerous malaria species, the host-derived immunity is often insufficient to completely inhibit the infection cycles of the parasite in red blood cells for yet unknown reasons. In the present chapter we aim to elucidate the role of the host's and the parasite's heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the development of a novel anti-malaria therapeutic approach.
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Role of the J Domain Protein Family in the Survival and Pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1340:97-123. [PMID: 34569022 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78397-6_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum has dedicated an unusually large proportion of its genome to molecular chaperones (2% of all genes), with the heat shock protein 40 (Hsp40) family (now called J domain proteins, JDPs) exhibiting evolutionary radiation into 49 members. A large number of the P. falciparum JDPs (PfJDPs) are predicted to be exported, with certain members shown experimentally to be present in the erythrocyte cytosol (PFA0660w and PFE0055c) or erythrocyte membrane (ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen, RESA). PFA0660w and PFE0055c are associated with an exported plasmodial Hsp70 (PfHsp70-x) within novel mobile structures called J-dots, which have been proposed to be dedicated to the trafficking of key membrane proteins such as erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). Well over half of the PfJDPs appear to be essential, including the J-dot PfJDP, PFE0055c, while others have been found to be required for growth under febrile conditions (e.g. PFA0110w, the ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen protein [RESA]) or involved in pathogenesis (e.g. PF10_0381 has been shown to be important for protrusions of the infected red blood cell membrane, the so-called knobs). Here we review what is known about those PfJDPs that have been well characterised, and may be directly or indirectly involved in the survival and pathogenesis of the malaria parasite.
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Vialard F, Olivier M. Thermoneutrality and Immunity: How Does Cold Stress Affect Disease? Front Immunol 2020; 11:588387. [PMID: 33329571 PMCID: PMC7714907 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.588387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the major challenges the scientific community faces today is the lack of translational data generated from mouse trials for human health application. Housing temperature-dependent chronic cold stress in laboratory rodents is one of the key factors contributing to lack of translatability because it reveals major metabolic differences between humans and rodents. While humans tend to operate at temperatures within their thermoneutral zone, most laboratory rodents are housed at temperatures below this zone and have an increased energy demand to generate heat. This has an impact on the immune system of mice and thus affects results obtained using murine models of human diseases. A limited number of studies and reviews have shown that results obtained on mice housed at thermoneutrality were different from those obtained from mice housed in traditional housing conditions. Most of those studies, focused on obesity and cancer, found that housing mice at thermoneutrality changed the outcomes of the diseases negatively and positively, respectively. In this review, we describe how thermoneutrality impacts the immune system of rodents generally and in the context of different disease models. We show that thermoneutrality exacerbates cardiovascular and auto-immune diseases; alleviates asthma and Alzheimer’s disease; and, changes gut microbiome populations. We also show that thermoneutrality can have exacerbating or alleviating effects on the outcome of infectious diseases. Thus, we join the call of others in this field to urge researchers to refine murine models of disease and increase their translational capacity by considering housing at thermoneutrality for trials involving rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorella Vialard
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Program in Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Martin Olivier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Program in Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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29
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Brown AC, Guler JL. From Circulation to Cultivation: Plasmodium In Vivo versus In Vitro. Trends Parasitol 2020; 36:914-926. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Johan A, Natalia A, Djauhari W, Effendi RF. CLINICAL AND HEMOGLOBIN PROFILE OF MALARIA PATIENTS IN KARITAS HOSPITAL, SOUTHWEST SUMBA, PERIOD OF YEAR 2017. INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE 2020. [DOI: 10.20473/ijtid.v8i1.11455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria infections in high endemic areas are not pathognomonic and often show non-specific symptoms. The Southwest Sumba district is a high endemic area of malaria with the annual parasite incidence (API) of 14.48‰. The research conducted in this area was to identify the clinical and hemoglobin profile of malaria patients and to obtain comprehensive information on the clinical characteristics of malaria in a high endemic area of Southwest Sumba district. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The data was obtained from the medical record of malaria patients between January 1st and December 31st, 2017 in Karitas Hospital, Southwest Sumba district. Inclusion criteria were patients with asexual stages of Plasmodium spp. on their Giemsa-stained thick and thin peripheral blood smears examination. Exclusion criteria were malaria patients with coexisting diseases and who had taken medication before admitted to the hospital. The total number of patients was 322 patients, 50.6% of the subjects were ≥ 15 years old and 59.3% were male. Among 322 patients, 133 subjects were treated as inpatients. The result shows that most infection was caused by a single infection of P. falciparum. The most common clinical symptom was fever (98.4%), followed by headache, vomiting, cough, and nausea. The most common physical finding was the axillary temperature of > 37.5°C (87.6%) followed by anemic conjunctiva and hepatomegaly, which was mostly found in pediatric patients. The number of patients with hemoglobin level ≤ 10 g/dL was 129. The MCV <80 fL was found in 79% of patients with anemia. Severe malaria was found in 116 subjects in this study according to severe malaria criteria set by the Indonesian Ministry of Health. Study results were consistent with other existing studies from other high endemic areas in East Nusa Tenggara province.
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Plasma Proteins and Platelets Modulate Neutrophil Clearance of Malaria-Related Hemozoin Crystals. Cells 2019; 9:cells9010093. [PMID: 31905972 PMCID: PMC7017347 DOI: 10.3390/cells9010093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemozoin is an insoluble crystalline pigment produced by the malaria parasite Plasmodia upon digesting host hemoglobin inside red blood cells. Red blood cell rupture releases hemozoin crystals into the circulation from where they are cleared by phagocytes such as neutrophils. We speculated that plasma proteins would affect the ability of neutrophils to clear hemozoin crystals. To test this, we cultured human blood neutrophils with hemozoin ex vivo and found that neutrophils ingested hemozoin (0.1-1 µm crystal size) in a dose-dependent manner into phagosomes and vesicles/vacuoles, resulting in morphological changes including nuclear enlargement, and vesicle formation, but not cell membrane rupture or release of neutrophil extracellular traps. The presence of human plasma significantly inhibited the ability of neutrophils to ingest hemozoin crystals. Platelet-poor plasma further inhibited the uptake of hemozoin by neutrophils. Selective exposure to fibrinogen completely replicated the plasma effect. Taken together, neutrophils cleared hemozoin crystals from the extracellular space via endocytosis into phagosomes and vesicles without inducing the release of neutrophil extracellular traps. However, human plasma components such as fibrinogen limited hemozoin clearance, whereas the presence of platelets augmented this process. These factors may influence the pro-inflammatory potential of hemozoin crystals in malaria.
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Ararat-Sarria M, Patarroyo MA, Curtidor H. Parasite-Related Genetic and Epigenetic Aspects and Host Factors Influencing Plasmodium falciparum Invasion of Erythrocytes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 8:454. [PMID: 30693273 PMCID: PMC6339890 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria, a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, is widespread throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide; it mostly affects children and pregnant woman. Eradication has stalled despite effective prevention measures and medication being available for this disease; this has mainly been due to the parasite's resistance to medical treatment and the mosquito vector's resistance to insecticides. Tackling such resistance involves using renewed approaches and techniques for accruing a deep understanding of the parasite's biology, and developing new drugs and vaccines. Studying the parasite's invasion of erythrocytes should shed light on its ability to switch between invasion phenotypes related to the expression of gene sets encoding proteins acting as ligands during target cell invasion, thereby conferring mechanisms for evading a particular host's immune response and adapting to changes in target cell surface receptors. This review considers some factors influencing the expression of such phenotypes, such as Plasmodium's genetic, transcriptional and epigenetic characteristics, and explores some host-related aspects which could affect parasite phenotypes, aiming at integrating knowledge regarding this topic and the possible relationship between the parasite's biology and host factors playing a role in erythrocyte invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Ararat-Sarria
- Receptor-Ligand Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.,PhD Programme in Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Manuel A Patarroyo
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Immunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia.,School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Hernando Curtidor
- Receptor-Ligand Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.,School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
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Reuterswärd P, Bergström S, Orikiiriza J, Lindquist E, Bergström S, Andersson Svahn H, Ayoglu B, Uhlén M, Wahlgren M, Normark J, Ribacke U, Nilsson P. Levels of human proteins in plasma associated with acute paediatric malaria. Malar J 2018; 17:426. [PMID: 30442134 PMCID: PMC6238294 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-018-2576-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The intimate interaction between the pathophysiology of the human host and the biology of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite results in a wide spectrum of disease outcomes in malaria. Development of severe disease is associated with a progressively augmented imbalance in pro- and anti-inflammatory responses to high parasite loads and sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes. Although these phenomena collectively constitute common denominators for the wide variety of discrete severe malaria manifestations, the mechanistic rationales behind discrepancies in outcome are poorly understood. Exploration of the human pathophysiological response by variations in protein profiles in plasma presents an excellent opportunity to increase the understanding. This is ultimately required for better prediction, prevention and treatment of malaria, which is essential for ongoing elimination and eradication efforts. Results An affinity proteomics approach was used to analyse 541 paediatric plasma samples collected from community controls and patients with mild or severe malaria in Rwanda. Protein profiles were generated with an antibody-based suspension bead array containing 255 antibodies targetting 115 human proteins. Here, 57 proteins were identified with significantly altered levels (adjusted p-values < 0.001) in patients with malaria compared to controls. From these, the 27 most significant proteins (adjusted p-values < 10−14) were selected for a stringent analysis approach. Here, 24 proteins showed elevated levels in malaria patients and included proteins involved in acute inflammatory response as well as cell adhesion. The remaining three proteins, also implicated in immune regulation and cellular adhesivity, displayed lower abundance in malaria patients. In addition, 37 proteins (adjusted p-values < 0.05) were identified with increased levels in patients with severe compared to mild malaria. This set includes, proteins involved in tissue remodelling and erythrocyte membrane proteins. Collectively, this approach has been successfully used to identify proteins both with known and unknown association with different stages of malaria. Conclusion In this study, a high-throughput affinity proteomics approach was used to find protein profiles in plasma linked to P. falciparum infection and malaria disease progression. The proteins presented herein are mainly involved in inflammatory response, cellular adhesion and as constituents of erythrocyte membrane. These findings have a great potential to provide increased conceptual understanding of host-parasite interaction and malaria pathogenesis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-018-2576-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippa Reuterswärd
- Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Sofia Bergström
- Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Judy Orikiiriza
- Infectious Diseases Institute, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Sven Bergström
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Helene Andersson Svahn
- Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Burcu Ayoglu
- Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Mathias Uhlén
- Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats Wahlgren
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Normark
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ulf Ribacke
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Nilsson
- Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
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Febrile Temperature Elevates the Expression of Phosphatidylserine on Plasmodium falciparum (FCR3CSA) Infected Red Blood Cell Surface Leading to Increased Cytoadhesion. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15022. [PMID: 30302009 PMCID: PMC6177484 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33358-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
During the asexual intra-erythrocytic cycle, Plasmodium (P.) falciparum exports parasitic proteins to the surface of infected red blood cells (iRBCs) facilitating its cytoadhesion to various endothelial host receptors. This adhesive behavior is a critical contributor towards disease manifestation. However, little is known about the influence of recurring elevated temperature – a common symptom of the malaria infection – on the adhesive properties of iRBCs to endothelial receptors. To address this, we performed dual-micropipette step-pressure technique between P. falciparum (strain FCR3CSA) iRBCs and Chinese Hamster Ovary cells expressing Chondroitin sulfate A (CHO-CSA) after transient iRBCs incubation at febrile temperatures which revealed increase in adhesion parameters. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis revealed an increase in phosphatidylserine (PS) expression on the iRBC surface following exposure to febrile temperature. The adhesion between iRBCs and CHO-CSA cells was remarkably reduced in presence of soluble Annexin V, indicating the mediation of PS on the adhesion events. Our results suggest that elevated PS recruitment on iRBC under thermally stressed conditions contributes to the increased adhesive behavior of iRBCs CSA-binding phenotype to CHO-CSA.
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35
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Costa AG, Ramasawmy R, Val FFA, Ibiapina HNS, Oliveira AC, Tarragô AM, Garcia NP, Heckmann MIO, Monteiro WM, Malheiro A, Lacerda MVG. Polymorphisms in TLRs influence circulating cytokines production in Plasmodium vivax malaria. Cytokine 2018; 110:374-380. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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36
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Abstract
Malaria remains widespread throughout the planet and increasing global travel continues to lead to imported cases of malaria in travelers, including children. This article provides an overview of pediatric malaria, including its epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in travelers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha M Kafai
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8226, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Audrey R Odom John
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8208, St Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8208, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Abstract
In the mosquito-human life cycle, the six species of malaria parasites infecting humans (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale wallickeri, Plasmodium ovale curtisi, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium knowlesi) undergo 10 or more morphological states, replicate from single to 10,000+ cells, and vary in total population from one to many more than 106 organisms. In the human host, only a small number of these morphological stages lead to clinical disease and the vast majority of all malaria-infected patients in the world produce few (if any) symptoms in the human. Human clinical disease (e.g., fever, anemia, coma) is the result of the parasite preprogrammed biology in concert with the human pathophysiological response. Caveats and corollaries that add variation to this host-parasite interaction include parasite genetic diversity of key proteins, coinfections, comorbidities, delays in treatment, human polymorphisms, and environmental determinants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny A Milner
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, American Society for Clinical Pathology, Center for Global Health, Chicago, Illinois 60603
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Costa AG, Ramasawmy R, Ibiapina HNS, Sampaio VS, Xábregas LA, Brasil LW, Tarragô AM, Almeida ACG, Kuehn A, Vitor-Silva S, Melo GC, Siqueira AM, Monteiro WM, Lacerda MVG, Malheiro A. Association of TLR variants with susceptibility to Plasmodium vivax malaria and parasitemia in the Amazon region of Brazil. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183840. [PMID: 28850598 PMCID: PMC5574562 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax malaria (Pv-malaria) is still considered a neglected disease despite an alarming number of individuals being infected annually. Malaria pathogenesis occurs with the onset of the vector-parasite-host interaction through the binding of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and receptors of innate immunity, such as toll-like receptors (TLRs). The triggering of the signaling cascade produces an elevated inflammatory response. Genetic polymorphisms in TLRs are involved in susceptibility or resistance to infection, and the identification of genes involved with Pv-malaria response is important to elucidate the pathogenesis of the disease and may contribute to the formulation of control and elimination tools. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A retrospective case-control study was conducted in an intense transmission area of Pv-malaria in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Genetic polymorphisms (SNPs) in different TLRs, TIRAP, and CD14 were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis in 325 patients infected with P. vivax and 274 healthy individuals without malaria history in the prior 12 months from the same endemic area. Parasite load was determined by qPCR. Simple and multiple logistic/linear regressions were performed to investigate association between the polymorphisms and the occurrence of Pv-malaria and parasitemia. The C/T (TLR5 R392StopCodon) and T/T (TLR9 -1486C/T) genotypes appear to be risk factors for infection by P. vivax (TLR5: C/C vs. C/T [OR: 2.116, 95% CI: 1.054-4.452, p = 0.031]; TLR9: C/C vs. T/T [OR: 1.919, 95% CI: 1.159-3.177, p = 0.010]; respectively). Fever (COEF = 7599.46, 95% CI = 3063.80-12135.12, p = 0.001) and the C/C genotype of TLR9 -1237C/T (COEF = 17006.63, 95% CI = 3472.83-30540.44, p = 0.014) were independently associated with increased parasitemia in patients with Pv-malaria. CONCLUSIONS Variants of TLRs may predispose individuals to infection by P. vivax. The TLR5 R392StopCodon and TLR9 -1486C/T variants are associated with susceptibility to Pv-malaria. Furthermore, the TLR9 variant -1237C/C correlates with high parasitemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson Guimarães Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Laboratório de Genômica, Fundação Hospitalar de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Amazonas (HEMOAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Rajendranath Ramasawmy
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia Básica e Aplicada, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Universidade Nilton Lins (UNINILTONLINS), Manaus, AM, Brasil
| | - Hiochelson Najibe Santos Ibiapina
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Vanderson Souza Sampaio
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Lilyane Amorim Xábregas
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Larissa Wanderley Brasil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Andréa Monteiro Tarragô
- Laboratório de Genômica, Fundação Hospitalar de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Amazonas (HEMOAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia Básica e Aplicada, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Anne Cristine Gomes Almeida
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Andrea Kuehn
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Barcelona Global Health Institute (ISGLOBAL), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sheila Vitor-Silva
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Gisely Cardoso Melo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - André Machado Siqueira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Marcus Vinicius Guimarães Lacerda
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Diretoria de Ensino e Pesquisa, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Instituto de Pesquisas Leônidas & Maria Deane, FIOCRUZ-Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Adriana Malheiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Laboratório de Genômica, Fundação Hospitalar de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Amazonas (HEMOAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia Básica e Aplicada, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
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Dunst J, Kamena F, Matuschewski K. Cytokines and Chemokines in Cerebral Malaria Pathogenesis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:324. [PMID: 28775960 PMCID: PMC5517394 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cerebral malaria is among the major causes of malaria-associated mortality and effective adjunctive therapeutic strategies are currently lacking. Central pathophysiological processes involved in the development of cerebral malaria include an imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory responses to Plasmodium infection, endothelial cell activation, and loss of blood-brain barrier integrity. However, the sequence of events, which initiates these pathophysiological processes as well as the contribution of their complex interplay to the development of cerebral malaria remain incompletely understood. Several cytokines and chemokines have repeatedly been associated with cerebral malaria severity. Increased levels of these inflammatory mediators could account for the sequestration of leukocytes in the cerebral microvasculature present during cerebral malaria, thereby contributing to an amplification of local inflammation and promoting cerebral malaria pathogenesis. Herein, we highlight the current knowledge on the contribution of cytokines and chemokines to the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria with particular emphasis on their roles in endothelial activation and leukocyte recruitment, as well as their implication in the progression to blood-brain barrier permeability and neuroinflammation, in both human cerebral malaria and in the murine experimental cerebral malaria model. A better molecular understanding of these processes could provide the basis for evidence-based development of adjunct therapies and the definition of diagnostic markers of disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Dunst
- Parasitology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection BiologyBerlin, Germany.,Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Free UniversityBerlin, Germany.,Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Germany
| | - Faustin Kamena
- Parasitology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection BiologyBerlin, Germany.,Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Free UniversityBerlin, Germany.,Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Germany
| | - Kai Matuschewski
- Parasitology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection BiologyBerlin, Germany.,Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Free UniversityBerlin, Germany
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40
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Plasmodium Helical Interspersed Subtelomeric (PHIST) Proteins, at the Center of Host Cell Remodeling. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2016; 80:905-27. [PMID: 27582258 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00014-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During the asexual cycle, Plasmodium falciparum extensively remodels the human erythrocyte to make it a suitable host cell. A large number of exported proteins facilitate this remodeling process, which causes erythrocytes to become more rigid, cytoadherent, and permeable for nutrients and metabolic products. Among the exported proteins, a family of 89 proteins, called the Plasmodium helical interspersed subtelomeric (PHIST) protein family, has been identified. While also found in other Plasmodium species, the PHIST family is greatly expanded in P. falciparum. Although a decade has passed since their first description, to date, most PHIST proteins remain uncharacterized and are of unknown function and localization within the host cell, and there are few data on their interactions with other host or parasite proteins. However, over the past few years, PHIST proteins have been mentioned in the literature at an increasing rate owing to their presence at various localizations within the infected erythrocyte. Expression of PHIST proteins has been implicated in molecular and cellular processes such as the surface display of PfEMP1, gametocytogenesis, changes in cell rigidity, and also cerebral and pregnancy-associated malaria. Thus, we conclude that PHIST proteins are central to host cell remodeling, but despite their obvious importance in pathology, PHIST proteins seem to be understudied. Here we review current knowledge, shed light on the definition of PHIST proteins, and discuss these proteins with respect to their localization and probable function. We take into consideration interaction studies, microarray analyses, or data from blood samples from naturally infected patients to combine all available information on this protein family.
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Starkl Renar K, Iskra J, Križaj I. Understanding malarial toxins. Toxicon 2016; 119:319-29. [PMID: 27353131 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Recognized since antiquity, malaria is one of the most infamous and widespread infectious diseases in humans and, although the death rate during the last century has been diminishing, it still accounts for more than a half million deaths annually. It is caused by the Plasmodium parasite and typical symptoms include fever, shivering, headache, diaphoresis and nausea, all resulting from an excessive inflammatory response induced by malarial toxins released into the victim's bloodstream. These toxins are hemozoin and glycosylphosphatidylinositols. The former is the final product of the parasite's detoxification of haeme, a by-product of haemoglobin catabolism, while the latter anchor proteins to the Plasmodium cell surface or occur as free molecules. Currently, only two groups of antimalarial toxin drugs exist on the market, quinolines and artemisinins. As we describe, they both target biosynthesis of hemozoin. Other substances, currently in various phases of clinical trials, are directed towards biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol, formation of hemozoin, or attenuation of the inflammatory response of the patient. Among the innovative approaches to alleviating the effects of malarial toxins, is the development of antimalarial toxin vaccines. In this review the most important lessons learned from the use of treatments directed against the action of malarial toxins in antimalarial therapy are emphasized and the most relevant and promising directions for future research in obtaining novel antimalarial agents acting on malarial toxins are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Starkl Renar
- Laboratory of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, Department of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Jernej Iskra
- Laboratory of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, Department of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Igor Križaj
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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42
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Rubio M, Bassat Q, Estivill X, Mayor A. Tying malaria and microRNAs: from the biology to future diagnostic perspectives. Malar J 2016; 15:167. [PMID: 26979504 PMCID: PMC4793504 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-016-1222-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Symptoms caused by bacterial, viral and malarial infections usually overlap and aetiologic diagnosis is difficult. Patient management in low-resource countries with limited laboratory services has been based predominantly on clinical evaluation and syndromic approaches. However, such clinical assessment has limited accuracy both for identifying the likely aetiological cause and for the early recognition of patients who will progress to serious or fatal disease. Plasma-detectable biomarkers that rapidly and accurately diagnose severe infectious diseases could reduce morbidity and decrease the unnecessary use of usually scarce therapeutic drugs. The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has opened exciting new avenues to identify blood biomarkers of organ-specific injury. This review assesses current knowledge on the relationship between malaria disease and miRNAs, and evaluates how future research might lead to the use of these small molecules for identifying patients with severe malaria disease and facilitate treatment decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Rubio
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Rosselló 153 (CEK building), 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Quique Bassat
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Rosselló 153 (CEK building), 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Xavier Estivill
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Experimental Genetics, Sidra Medical and Research Centre, Doha, Qatar
| | - Alfredo Mayor
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Rosselló 153 (CEK building), 08036, Barcelona, Spain. .,Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique.
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43
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Galatas B, Bassat Q, Mayor A. Malaria Parasites in the Asymptomatic: Looking for the Hay in the Haystack. Trends Parasitol 2015; 32:296-308. [PMID: 26708404 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2015.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Revised: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
With malaria elimination back on the international agenda, programs face the challenge of targeting all Plasmodium infections, not only symptomatic cases. As asymptomatic individuals are unlikely to seek treatment, they are missed by passive surveillance while remaining infectious to mosquitoes, thus acting as silent reservoirs of transmission. To estimate the risk of asymptomatic infections in various phases of malaria elimination, we need a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms favoring carriage over disease, which may involve both pathogen and host factors. Here we review our current knowledge on the determinants leading to Plasmodium falciparum symptomless infections. Understanding the host-pathogen interactions that are most likely to affect transitions between malaria disease states could guide the development of tools to tackle asymptomatic carriers in elimination settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Galatas
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Quique Bassat
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Alfredo Mayor
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique.
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Deroost K, Pham TT, Opdenakker G, Van den Steen PE. The immunological balance between host and parasite in malaria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2015; 40:208-57. [PMID: 26657789 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuv046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Coevolution of humans and malaria parasites has generated an intricate balance between the immune system of the host and virulence factors of the parasite, equilibrating maximal parasite transmission with limited host damage. Focusing on the blood stage of the disease, we discuss how the balance between anti-parasite immunity versus immunomodulatory and evasion mechanisms of the parasite may result in parasite clearance or chronic infection without major symptoms, whereas imbalances characterized by excessive parasite growth, exaggerated immune reactions or a combination of both cause severe pathology and death, which is detrimental for both parasite and host. A thorough understanding of the immunological balance of malaria and its relation to other physiological balances in the body is of crucial importance for developing effective interventions to reduce malaria-related morbidity and to diminish fatal outcomes due to severe complications. Therefore, we discuss in this review the detailed mechanisms of anti-malarial immunity, parasite virulence factors including immune evasion mechanisms and pathogenesis. Furthermore, we propose a comprehensive classification of malaria complications according to the different types of imbalances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrien Deroost
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London, NW71AA, UK
| | - Thao-Thy Pham
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ghislain Opdenakker
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Philippe E Van den Steen
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Berna AZ, McCarthy JS, Wang RX, Saliba KJ, Bravo FG, Cassells J, Padovan B, Trowell SC. Analysis of Breath Specimens for Biomarkers of Plasmodium falciparum Infection. J Infect Dis 2015; 212:1120-8. [PMID: 25810441 PMCID: PMC4559192 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiv176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, the majority of diagnoses of malaria rely on a combination of the patient's clinical presentation and the visualization of parasites on a stained blood film. Breath offers an attractive alternative to blood as the basis for simple, noninvasive diagnosis of infectious diseases. In this study, breath samples were collected from individuals during controlled malaria to determine whether specific malaria-associated volatiles could be detected in breath. We identified 9 compounds whose concentrations varied significantly over the course of malaria: carbon dioxide, isoprene, acetone, benzene, cyclohexanone, and 4 thioethers. The latter group, consisting of allyl methyl sulfide, 1-methylthio-propane, (Z)-1-methylthio-1-propene, and (E)-1-methylthio-1-propene, had not previously been associated with any disease or condition. Before the availability of antimalarial drug treatment, there was evidence of concurrent 48-hour cyclical changes in the levels of both thioethers and parasitemia. When thioether concentrations were subjected to a phase shift of 24 hours, a direct correlation between the parasitemia and volatile levels was revealed. Volatile levels declined monotonically approximately 6.5 hours after initial drug treatment, correlating with clearance of parasitemia. No thioethers were detected in in vitro cultures of Plasmodium falciparum. The metabolic origin of the thioethers is not known, but results suggest that interplay between host and parasite metabolic pathways is involved in the production of these thioethers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James S McCarthy
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Brisbane and Women舗s Hospital, Brisbane
| | | | - Kevin J Saliba
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Roth J, Blatteis CM. Mechanisms of fever production and lysis: lessons from experimental LPS fever. Compr Physiol 2015; 4:1563-604. [PMID: 25428854 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c130033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Fever is a cardinal symptom of infectious or inflammatory insults, but it can also arise from noninfectious causes. The fever-inducing agent that has been used most frequently in experimental studies designed to characterize the physiological, immunological and neuroendocrine processes and to identify the neuronal circuits that underlie the manifestation of the febrile response is lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Our knowledge of the mechanisms of fever production and lysis is largely based on this model. Fever is usually initiated in the periphery of the challenged host by the immediate activation of the innate immune system by LPS, specifically of the complement (C) cascade and Toll-like receptors. The first results in the immediate generation of the C component C5a and the subsequent rapid production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The second, occurring after some delay, induces the further production of PGE2 by induction of its synthesizing enzymes and transcription and translation of proinflammatory cytokines. The Kupffer cells (Kc) of the liver seem to be essential for these initial processes. The subsequent transfer of the pyrogenic message from the periphery to the brain is achieved by neuronal and humoral mechanisms. These pathways subserve the genesis of early (neuronal signals) and late (humoral signals) phases of the characteristically biphasic febrile response to LPS. During the course of fever, counterinflammatory factors, "endogenous antipyretics," are elaborated peripherally and centrally to limit fever in strength and duration. The multiple interacting pro- and antipyretic signals and their mechanistic effects that underlie endotoxic fever are the subjects of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Roth
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany; Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee
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Mok S, Ashley EA, Ferreira PE, Zhu L, Lin Z, Yeo T, Chotivanich K, Imwong M, Pukrittayakamee S, Dhorda M, Nguon C, Lim P, Amaratunga C, Suon S, Hien TT, Htut Y, Faiz MA, Onyamboko MA, Mayxay M, Newton PN, Tripura R, Woodrow CJ, Miotto O, Kwiatkowski DP, Nosten F, Day NPJ, Preiser PR, White NJ, Dondorp AM, Fairhurst RM, Bozdech Z. Drug resistance. Population transcriptomics of human malaria parasites reveals the mechanism of artemisinin resistance. Science 2015; 347:431-5. [PMID: 25502316 PMCID: PMC5642863 DOI: 10.1126/science.1260403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 285] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum threatens global efforts to control and eliminate malaria. Polymorphisms in the kelch domain-carrying protein K13 are associated with artemisinin resistance, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. We analyzed the in vivo transcriptomes of 1043 P. falciparum isolates from patients with acute malaria and found that artemisinin resistance is associated with increased expression of unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways involving the major PROSC and TRiC chaperone complexes. Artemisinin-resistant parasites also exhibit decelerated progression through the first part of the asexual intraerythrocytic development cycle. These findings suggest that artemisinin-resistant parasites remain in a state of decelerated development at the young ring stage, whereas their up-regulated UPR pathways mitigate protein damage caused by artemisinin. The expression profiles of UPR-related genes also associate with the geographical origin of parasite isolates, further suggesting their role in emerging artemisinin resistance in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachel Mok
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Elizabeth A Ashley
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Pedro E Ferreira
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Lei Zhu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Zhaoting Lin
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Tomas Yeo
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Kesinee Chotivanich
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mallika Imwong
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sasithon Pukrittayakamee
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mehul Dhorda
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), Asia Regional Centre, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chea Nguon
- National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Pharath Lim
- National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chanaki Amaratunga
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Seila Suon
- National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Tran Tinh Hien
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU), Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Ye Htut
- Department of Medical Research, Lower Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - M Abul Faiz
- Malaria Research Group & Dev Care Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Marie A Onyamboko
- Kinshasa School of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Mayfong Mayxay
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao PDR. Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Health Sciences, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Paul N Newton
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Rupam Tripura
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Charles J Woodrow
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Olivo Miotto
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Genomics and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dominic P Kwiatkowski
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Genomics and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - François Nosten
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
| | - Nicholas P J Day
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter R Preiser
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Nicholas J White
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Arjen M Dondorp
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rick M Fairhurst
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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48
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Etiopathogenesis and Pathophysiology of Malaria. HUMAN AND MOSQUITO LYSOZYMES 2015. [PMCID: PMC7123976 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-09432-8_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium protozoan parasites and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. The disease is diffused in tropical areas, where it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. P. falciparum is the most dangerous species, mainly affecting young children. The parasite cycle occurs both in humans (asexual stages) and in mosquitoes (sexual stages). In humans, Plasmodium grows and multiplies within red blood cells using hemoglobin as essential source of nutrients and energy. However, this process generates toxic heme that the parasite aggregates into an insoluble inert biocrystal called hemozoin. This molecule sequesters in various organs (liver, spleen, and brain), potentially contributing to the development of malaria immunopathogenesis. Uncomplicated falciparum malaria clinical frame ranges from asymptomatic infection to classic symptoms such as fever, chills, sweating, headache, and muscle aches. However, malaria can also evolve into severe life-threatening complications, including cerebral malaria, severe anemia, respiratory distress, and acute renal failure.
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49
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The pathology and pathogenicity of a novel Haemoproteus spp. infection in wild Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor). Vet Parasitol 2013; 197:74-84. [PMID: 23683654 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2013] [Revised: 04/05/2013] [Accepted: 04/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
One hundred and thirty four Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) carcases found since 2004 in south west Australia were necropsied. The livers and spleens from ten of the penguins exhibited varying degrees of multifocal, randomly scattered areas of necrosis and varying numbers of parasites were associated with these areas. Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were noted in many of these ten cases. Necrosis and parasites were also observed in the cardiac muscle of four of the cases and in the lung tissue in one of the penguins. Using PCR, the parasites were positively identified in four of the cases as Haemoproteus spp. and morphologically identical tissue stage parasites associated with histopathological changes were observed in all ten dead penguins. This is the first study to demonstrate both the in situ presence of the Haemoproteus parasite in any member of the Sphensicidae family and mortality due to its presence. We postulate the involvement of anomalous environmental conditions in a potential increase in local vectors.
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50
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Mideo N, Reece SE, Smith AL, Metcalf CJE. The Cinderella syndrome: why do malaria-infected cells burst at midnight? Trends Parasitol 2013; 29:10-6. [PMID: 23253515 PMCID: PMC3925801 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2012.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2012] [Revised: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 10/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
An interesting quirk of many malaria infections is that all parasites within a host – millions of them – progress through their cell cycle synchronously. This surprising coordination has long been recognized, yet there is little understanding of what controls it or why it has evolved. Interestingly, the conventional explanation for coordinated development in other parasite species does not seem to apply here. We argue that for malaria parasites, a critical question has yet to be answered: is the coordination due to parasites bursting at the same time or at a particular time? We explicitly delineate these fundamentally different scenarios, possible underlying mechanistic explanations and evolutionary drivers, and discuss the existing corroborating data and key evidence needed to solve this evolutionary mystery.
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