Cerebral Malaria in Mouse and Man

Cerebral malaria (CM) is an acute encephalopathy caused by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which develops in a small minority of infected patients and is responsible for the majority of deaths in African children. Despite decades of research on CM, the pathogenic mechanisms are still rel...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nazanin Ghazanfari, Scott N. Mueller, William R. Heath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-09-01
Series:Frontiers in Immunology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02016/full
Description
Summary:Cerebral malaria (CM) is an acute encephalopathy caused by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which develops in a small minority of infected patients and is responsible for the majority of deaths in African children. Despite decades of research on CM, the pathogenic mechanisms are still relatively poorly defined. Nevertheless, many studies in recent years, using a combination of animal models, in vitro cell culture work, and human patients, provide significant insight into the pathologic mechanisms leading to CM. In this review, we summarize recent findings from mouse models and human studies on the pathogenesis of CM, understanding of which may enable development of novel therapeutic approaches.
ISSN:1664-3224