Linking functional and molecular mechanisms of host resilience to malaria infection.

ABSTRACT: It remains challenging to understand why some hosts suffer severe illnesses, while others are unscathed by the same infection. We fitted a mathematical model to longitudinal measurements of parasite and red blood cell density in murine hosts from diverse genetic backgrounds to identify aspects of within-host interactions that explain variation in host resilience and survival during acute malaria infection. Among eight mouse strains that collectively span 90% of the common genetic diversity of laboratory mice, we found that high host mortality was associated with either weak parasite clearance, or a strong, yet imprecise response that inadvertently removes uninfected cells in excess. Subsequent cross-sectional cytokine assays revealed that the two distinct functional mechanisms of poor surv

SUBMITTER: Kamiya T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8510579 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature