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Malaria associated apoptosis is not significantly correlated with either parasitemia or the number of previous malaria attacks

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Abstract.

The occurrence and intensity of lymphocyte apoptosis in blood samples from 79 outclinic patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax malaria and 30 healthy individuals were investigated. No difference in apoptosis percentages was detected between healthy individuals and malaria patients when ex vivo lymphocytes were analyzed. However, significantly increased apoptosis levels were observed in lymphocytes from both P. falciparum- and P. vivax-infected patients when the cells were cultured for 24 h. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were affected to a comparable extent in P.falciparum- and P.vivax-infected patients. However, when we compared apoptosis values in infected and non-infected individuals it appeared that CD4+ T cells were more susceptible than CD8+ T cells. A significant increase in the sIL-2R plasma levels was observed in malaria patients when compared with healthy individuals and a positive correlation was observed between sIL-2R levels and apoptosis rates in infected patients presenting increased rates of apoptosis. An increased expression of Fas antigen was recorded after stimulation with P. falciparum antigen or anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. These data show that a consistent proportion of the lymphocyte population dies by apoptosis during a malaria infection and that a period of time is necessary before in vivo activated cells can express the apoptotic process in vitro.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their sincere appreciation to those individuals who kindly provided blood samples for this study. We thank Rosilene Ramos Gonçalves and Wagner C. Baetas for technical assistance and Dr. Christian Roussilhon for helpful discussions. This work was supported by the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz—Fiocruz, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology—WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Immunology of Parasitic Diseases, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Fiocruz, RJ , Brazil

    Evelyn K. P. Riccio, Ivan Neves Júnior, Lilian R. Pratt Riccio, Lilian R. Pratt Riccio, Mariza Morgado, Cláudio T. Daniel-Ribeiro & Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz

  2. Fundação de Medicina Tropical FMT/IMT-AM, Manaus, Brazil

    Maria das Graças Alecrim

  3. Department of Ultrastructure and Cellular Biology, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, RJ, Brazil

    Suzana Corte-Real

  4. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz—Fiocruz, Pavilhão Leônidas Deane, Departamento de Imunologia, Laboratório de Pesquisas em Malária, Av. Brasil, CEP: 21045–900, 4365 , Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

    Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz

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  1. Evelyn K. P. Riccio
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  2. Ivan Neves Júnior
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Correspondence to Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz.

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Riccio, E.K.P., Júnior, I.N., Riccio, L.R.P. et al. Malaria associated apoptosis is not significantly correlated with either parasitemia or the number of previous malaria attacks. Parasitol Res 90, 9–18 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0816-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0816-z

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