What Severe Malaria Cases Have In Common

Although severe malaria presents in different clinical forms – such as cerebral malaria or severe malarial anemia – a new study reveals that all severe cases have one thing in common: a shared inflammatory signature

Transcript

Whilst most cases of malaria are mild, some take a dangerous turn. In severe cases, the malaria parasite can overwhelm the body, disrupting the blood-brain barrier and leading to cerebral malaria, or destroying so many red blood cells that it triggers life-threatening anemia. Now, a new study has taken a closer look at this progression – from uncomplicated malaria to severe disease.

Researchers looked at three factors: Transcriptomics, the genes being expressed; proteomics, the proteins being produced; and metabolomics, the metabolites and small molecules present. Using a matched-pairs design, they compared blood samples of children with severe malaria versus children with uncomplicated disease. 

The finding? Although different types of severe malaria can be distinguished by other factors, they all share a ‘common signalling pattern.’

Two proteins stood out: MMP8 and MMP9 – and those proteins are both involved, in different ways, in the breakdown of the extracellular matrix – the scaffolding between cells. The finding gives researchers new clues into how malaria becomes deadly, and may open the door to better-targeted treatments – or even a vaccine against severe malaria - in the future.

Source

A shared inflammatory signature across severe malaria syndromes manifested by transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses [Nature Communications]

About The Podcast

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute podcast is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.