In:
mBio, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 6, No. 5 ( 2015-10-30)
Abstract:
There are nearly 1 million malaria deaths yearly, primarily in sub-Saharan African children. Cerebral malaria (CM), marked by coma and sequestered malaria parasites in brain blood vessels, causes half of these deaths, although the mechanisms causing coma and death are uncertain. Sub-Saharan Africa has a high HIV prevalence, with 3 million HIV-infected (HIV + ) children, but the effects of HIV on CM pathogenesis and mortality are unknown. In a study of pediatric CM in Malawi, HIV prevalence was high and CM-attributed mortality was higher in HIV + than in HIV-uninfected children. Brain pathology in children with fatal CM was notable not only for sequestered malaria parasites but also for intravascular accumulations of monocytes and platelets that were more severe in HIV + children. Our findings raise the possibility that HIV + children at risk for malaria may benefit from targeted malaria prophylaxis and that adjunctive treatments targeting inflammation and/or coagulation may improve CM outcomes.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2161-2129
,
2150-7511
DOI:
10.1128/mBio.01390-15
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology
Publication Date:
2015
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2557172-2