In this new study, the researchers focused on how malaria parasites develop, both in the liver and in red blood cells and analyze patterns of infection in mice, looking for a special case of "super infection", in which a person who has been infected with malaria is then bitten by the second mosquito that has been infected. A person in a high-risk area can be bitten by hundreds of mosquitoes infected with malaria per year, which makes super infectious problems very relevant. The study for the first time revealed the vital role of iron in the development of more than one malaria infection, which has strong implications for iron supplementation to fight anemia in malaria endemic areas.
After the mosquito bites, the malaria parasites go first to the liver, become abundant, then exit and attack the red blood cells. Previously it was known that parasites both in the liver and in the blood needed iron to grow. The new study shows that the second bite of a mosquito to someone who has already carried blood parasites, does not result in a full explosion of the second infection. Super infections are blocked in the liver by the first infection. This protective effect is caused by blood parasites causing the parasites in the liver to run out of iron, so they cannot grow. Therefore, the results obtained cast doubt on the biological concept that infection of different host cells (hepatocytes of the liver or red blood cells) occurs separately from each other, which also has an impact on the field of research on infections that exceed malaria.
Dr. Silvia Portugal, the study's first researcher said: "I am very pleased that we were able to find such interesting interactions occurring between the different stages of the malaria parasite in one host, and this may contribute to malaria control in the future."
Dr. Maria Mota, who led the study at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon said: "Our findings help explain differences in the risk of infection and the complexity of infections in young people observed in malaria endemic areas that have speculative explanations needed to at present, they doubt the idea that infection in different cell types occurs independently, which might have an impact on future research in the field of infectious diseases as a whole. "
Dr. Hal Drakesmith, who worked on the lead at the study at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine added: "Now that we understand how malaria parasites protect their territory in the body from its competing parasites, we might be able to enhance this natural defense mechanism to combat the risk of infection. malaria infection, at the same time we need to look again at the feasibility of iron supplementation programs in malaria endemic areas, as an increased risk of possible infections needs to be weighed with the benefits obtained.More data is needed for this problem. "
Malaria is a destructive disease that affects extensive areas of Africa, Asia, Central and South America, causing several thousand deaths per year in children under five years. Malaria is caused by a protozoan Plasmodium parasite infection, which is included in the Apikompleksa type. Experiments to eradicate malaria so far have not been successful. This failure can be attributed to an increase in insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and in anti-malarial drugs in parasites. There is an urgent need to develop a new strategy against malaria.
This discovery was published May 15, 2011 in Nature Medicine.
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