Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
11:12
Protocols for Investigating the Host-tissue Distribution, Transmission-mode, and Effect on the Host Fitness of a Densovirus in the Cotton Bollworm
Published on: April 12, 2017
Cross-species interactions between malaria parasites in humans
M C Bruce1, C A Donnelly, M P Alpers
1Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3FY, UK. marian.bruce@ceid.ox.ac.uk
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 5, 2000
Summary
Multiple Plasmodium infections in children show density-dependent regulation across species and genotypes. This, with immune responses, leads to sequential, nonindependent infection episodes, offering insights into malaria dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Malariology
- Immunology
- Population Dynamics
Background:
- Children in high malaria transmission areas often experience multiple Plasmodium infections.
- Understanding the regulation of these infections is crucial for disease control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the regulatory mechanisms governing multiple Plasmodium infections in asymptomatic children.
- To determine if density-dependent regulation affects infections across different Plasmodium species and genotypes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of infection dynamics in asymptomatic children under intense malaria transmission.
- Examination of Plasmodium species and genotype interactions.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests density-dependent regulation of Plasmodium infections, impacting both species and genotypes.
- Immune responses are species- and genotype-specific.
- Infection episodes were found to be nonindependent and sequential.
Conclusions:
- Density-dependent regulation plays a significant role in controlling multiple Plasmodium infections.
- The interplay between regulation and specific immune responses shapes infection patterns.
- Sequential infection episodes highlight the complex dynamics of malaria in endemic populations.
Related Concept Videos
00:57Viral Recombination
Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
00:58Symbiosis
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
01:26Microbial Interactions: Cooperation
Microbial cooperation involves beneficial interactions in which different species work together for individual or mutual advantage. These interactions can profoundly influence ecological dynamics and evolutionary processes, and they are essential to many pathogenic and symbiotic relationships.Nematode–Bacteria CooperationA striking example is the relationship between the Gram-negative bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila and the parasitic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae. Juvenile nematodes...
01:22Microbial Interactions: Parasitism
Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...