Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria
Abstract Background Although 80% of malaria occurs in children under five years of age, infants under six months of age are known to have low rates of infection and disease. It is not clear why this youngest age group is protected; possible factors include maternal antibodies, unique nutrition (brea...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:53c8f9c4919b4172b1acaff6970a362b 2023-05-15T15:16:11+02:00 Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria Billig Erica MW McQueen Philip G McKenzie F Ellis 2012-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-396 https://doaj.org/article/53c8f9c4919b4172b1acaff6970a362b EN eng BMC http://www.malariajournal.com/content/11/1/396 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/1475-2875-11-396 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/53c8f9c4919b4172b1acaff6970a362b Malaria Journal, Vol 11, Iss 1, p 396 (2012) Malaria Plasmodium falciparum Foetal haemoglobin Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2012 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-396 2022-12-31T09:12:59Z Abstract Background Although 80% of malaria occurs in children under five years of age, infants under six months of age are known to have low rates of infection and disease. It is not clear why this youngest age group is protected; possible factors include maternal antibodies, unique nutrition (breast milk), and the presence of foetal haemoglobin (HbF). This work aims to gain insight into possible mechanisms of protection, and suggest pathways for focused empirical work, by modelling a range of possible effects of foetal haemoglobin and other red blood cell (RBC) developmental changes on parasite dynamics in infants. Methods A set of ordinary differential equations was created to investigate the leading hypotheses about the possible protective mechanisms of HbF-containing red blood cells, in particular whether HbF suppresses parasite population growth because parasite multiplication in individual RBCs is lower, slower or absent. The model also incorporated the intrinsic changes in blood volume and haematocrit that occur with age, and the possibility of parasite affinities for HbF-containing RBCs or reticulocytes. Results The model identified several sets of conditions in which the infant remained protected, or displayed a much slower growth of parasitaemia in the first few months of life, without any intervening immune response. The most protective of the hypothesized mechanisms would be the inhibition of schizont division in foetal RBCs so that fewer merozoites are produced. The model showed that a parasite preference for HbF-containing RBCs increases protective effects for the host, while a preference for reticulocytes has little effect. Conclusions The results from this simple model of haematological changes in infants and their effects on Plasmodium falciparum infection dynamics emphasize the likely importance of HbF and RBC number as an explanatory factor in paediatric malaria, and suggest a framework for organizing related empirical research. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Malaria Journal 11 1 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Malaria Plasmodium falciparum Foetal haemoglobin Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
spellingShingle |
Malaria Plasmodium falciparum Foetal haemoglobin Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Billig Erica MW McQueen Philip G McKenzie F Ellis Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria |
topic_facet |
Malaria Plasmodium falciparum Foetal haemoglobin Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
Abstract Background Although 80% of malaria occurs in children under five years of age, infants under six months of age are known to have low rates of infection and disease. It is not clear why this youngest age group is protected; possible factors include maternal antibodies, unique nutrition (breast milk), and the presence of foetal haemoglobin (HbF). This work aims to gain insight into possible mechanisms of protection, and suggest pathways for focused empirical work, by modelling a range of possible effects of foetal haemoglobin and other red blood cell (RBC) developmental changes on parasite dynamics in infants. Methods A set of ordinary differential equations was created to investigate the leading hypotheses about the possible protective mechanisms of HbF-containing red blood cells, in particular whether HbF suppresses parasite population growth because parasite multiplication in individual RBCs is lower, slower or absent. The model also incorporated the intrinsic changes in blood volume and haematocrit that occur with age, and the possibility of parasite affinities for HbF-containing RBCs or reticulocytes. Results The model identified several sets of conditions in which the infant remained protected, or displayed a much slower growth of parasitaemia in the first few months of life, without any intervening immune response. The most protective of the hypothesized mechanisms would be the inhibition of schizont division in foetal RBCs so that fewer merozoites are produced. The model showed that a parasite preference for HbF-containing RBCs increases protective effects for the host, while a preference for reticulocytes has little effect. Conclusions The results from this simple model of haematological changes in infants and their effects on Plasmodium falciparum infection dynamics emphasize the likely importance of HbF and RBC number as an explanatory factor in paediatric malaria, and suggest a framework for organizing related empirical research. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Billig Erica MW McQueen Philip G McKenzie F Ellis |
author_facet |
Billig Erica MW McQueen Philip G McKenzie F Ellis |
author_sort |
Billig Erica MW |
title |
Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria |
title_short |
Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria |
title_full |
Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria |
title_fullStr |
Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria |
title_full_unstemmed |
Foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria |
title_sort |
foetal haemoglobin and the dynamics of paediatric malaria |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-396 https://doaj.org/article/53c8f9c4919b4172b1acaff6970a362b |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Malaria Journal, Vol 11, Iss 1, p 396 (2012) |
op_relation |
http://www.malariajournal.com/content/11/1/396 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/1475-2875-11-396 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/53c8f9c4919b4172b1acaff6970a362b |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-396 |
container_title |
Malaria Journal |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766346485693153280 |