Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host?
Malaria reflects not only a state of immune activation, but also a state of general immune defect or immunosuppression, of complex etiology that can last longer than the actual episode. Inhabitants of malaria-endemic regions with lifelong exposure to the parasite show an exhausted or immune regulato...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/10/1277 |
| _version_ | 1797513517531660288 |
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| author | Carlos Lamsfus Calle Benjamin Mordmüller Anurag Singh |
| author_facet | Carlos Lamsfus Calle Benjamin Mordmüller Anurag Singh |
| author_sort | Carlos Lamsfus Calle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Malaria reflects not only a state of immune activation, but also a state of general immune defect or immunosuppression, of complex etiology that can last longer than the actual episode. Inhabitants of malaria-endemic regions with lifelong exposure to the parasite show an exhausted or immune regulatory profile compared to non- or minimally exposed subjects. Several studies and experiments to identify and characterize the cause of this malaria-related immunosuppression have shown that malaria suppresses humoral and cellular responses to both homologous (<i>Plasmodium</i>) and heterologous antigens (e.g., vaccines). However, neither the underlying mechanisms nor the relative involvement of different types of immune cells in immunosuppression during malaria is well understood. Moreover, the implication of the parasite during the different stages of the modulation of immunity has not been addressed in detail. There is growing evidence of a role of immune regulators and cellular components in malaria that may lead to immunosuppression that needs further research. In this review, we summarize the current evidence on how malaria parasites may directly and indirectly induce immunosuppression and investigate the potential role of specific cell types, effector molecules and other immunoregulatory factors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:17:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-de9cea4d662748e8bd5f4e638542330c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:17:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-de9cea4d662748e8bd5f4e638542330c2023-11-22T19:33:28ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172021-10-011010127710.3390/pathogens10101277Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host?Carlos Lamsfus Calle0Benjamin Mordmüller1Anurag Singh2Institute for Tropical Medicine, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 XZ Nijmegen, The NetherlandsInstitute for Clinical and Experimental Transfusion Medicine (IKET), University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, GermanyMalaria reflects not only a state of immune activation, but also a state of general immune defect or immunosuppression, of complex etiology that can last longer than the actual episode. Inhabitants of malaria-endemic regions with lifelong exposure to the parasite show an exhausted or immune regulatory profile compared to non- or minimally exposed subjects. Several studies and experiments to identify and characterize the cause of this malaria-related immunosuppression have shown that malaria suppresses humoral and cellular responses to both homologous (<i>Plasmodium</i>) and heterologous antigens (e.g., vaccines). However, neither the underlying mechanisms nor the relative involvement of different types of immune cells in immunosuppression during malaria is well understood. Moreover, the implication of the parasite during the different stages of the modulation of immunity has not been addressed in detail. There is growing evidence of a role of immune regulators and cellular components in malaria that may lead to immunosuppression that needs further research. In this review, we summarize the current evidence on how malaria parasites may directly and indirectly induce immunosuppression and investigate the potential role of specific cell types, effector molecules and other immunoregulatory factors.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/10/1277malaria<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>immunosuppressiontoleranceregulatory T cellsregulatory B cells |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Lamsfus Calle Benjamin Mordmüller Anurag Singh Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host? Pathogens malaria <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> immunosuppression tolerance regulatory T cells regulatory B cells |
| title | Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host? |
| title_full | Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host? |
| title_fullStr | Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host? |
| title_short | Immunosuppression in Malaria: Do <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Parasites Hijack the Host? |
| title_sort | immunosuppression in malaria do i plasmodium falciparum i parasites hijack the host |
| topic | malaria <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> immunosuppression tolerance regulatory T cells regulatory B cells |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/10/1277 |
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