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Background: Host genotype accounts for a component of the variability in susceptibility to childhood Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, despite numerous examples of host polymorphisms associated with tolerance or resistance to infection, direct evidence for an impact of host genetic polymorphisms on the in vivo parasite population is difficult to obtain. Parasite molecules whose expression is most likely to be associated with such adaptation are those that are directly involved in the host-parasite interaction. A prime candidate is the family of parasite var gene-encoded molecules on P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes, PfEMP1, which binds various host molecules and facilitates parasite sequestration in host tissues to avoid clearance by the spleen. Methods: To assess the impact of host genotype on the infecting parasite population we used a published parasite var gene sequence dataset to compare var gene expression patterns between parasites from children with polymorphisms in molecules thought to interact with or modulate display of PfEMP1 on the infected erythrocyte surface: ABO blood group, haemoglobin S, alpha-thalassaemia, the T188G polymorphism of CD36 and the K29M polymorphism of ICAM1. Results: Expression levels of ‘group A-like’ var genes, which encode a specific group of PfEMP1 variants previously associated with low host immunity and severe malaria, showed signs of elevation among children of blood group AB. No other host factor tested showed evidence for an association with var expression. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggest that host ABO blood group may have a measurable impact on the infecting parasite population. This needs to be verified in larger studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1(PfEMP1) is a family of variant surface antigens (VSA) that mediate the adhesion of parasite infected erythrocytes to capillary endothelial cells within host tissues. Opinion is divided over the role of PfEMP1 in the widespread endothelial activation associated with severe malaria. In a previous study we found evidence for differential associations between defined VSA subsets and specific syndromes of severe malaria: group A-like PfEMP1 expression and the “rosetting” phenotype were associated with impaired consciousness and respiratory distress, respectively. This study explores the involvement of widespread endothelial activation in these associations. Methods: We used plasma angiopoietin-2 as a marker of widespread endothelial activation. Using logistic regression analysis, we explored the relationships between plasma angiopoietin-2 levels, parasite VSA expression and the two syndromes of severe malaria, impaired consciousness and respiratory distress. Results: Plasma angiopoietin-2 was associated with both syndromes. The rosetting phenotype did not show an independent association with respiratory distress when adjusted for angiopoietin-2, consistent with a single pathogenic mechanism involving widespread endothelial activation. In contrast, group A-like PfEMP1 expression and angiopoietin-2 maintained independent associations with impaired consciousness when adjusted for each other. Conclusion: The results are consistent with multiple pathogenic mechanisms leading to severe malaria and heterogeneity in the pathophysiology of impaired consciousness. The observed association between group A-like PfEMP1 and impaired consciousness does not appear to involve widespread endothelial activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquired immunity to Plasmodium falciparum infection causes a change from frequent, sometimes life-threatening, malaria in young children to asymptomatic, chronic infections in older children and adults. Little is known about how this transition occurs but antibodies to the extremely diverse PfEMP1 parasite antigens are thought to play a role. PfEMP1 is encoded by a family of 60 var genes that undergo clonal antigenic variation, potentially creating an antigenically heterogeneous infecting population of parasites within the host. Previous theoretical work suggests that antibodies to PfEMP1 may play a role in “orchestrating” their expression within infections leading to sequential, homogeneous expression of var genes, and prolonged infection chronicity. Here, using a cloning and sequencing approach we compare the var expression homogeneity (VEH) between isolates from children with asymptomatic and clinical infections. We show that asymptomatic infections have higher VEH than clinical infections and a broader host antibody response. We discuss this in relation to the potential role of host antibodies in promoting chronicity of infection and parasite survival through the low transmission season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]