Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 13, 2026

High Yield Purification of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites For Use in Opsonizing Antibody Assays
10:38

High Yield Purification of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites For Use in Opsonizing Antibody Assays

Published on: July 17, 2014

Serum protein index in human malaria

E O Alumanah1, E C Onyeneke, N A Okpogba

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Cytobios
|October 13, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Serum protein levels in Plasmodium falciparum malaria patients showed no significant changes compared to controls. This study challenges previous findings of protein deficiency during malarial infection, prompting a re-evaluation of protein metabolism in fever.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Malaria, particularly Plasmodium falciparum infection, is often associated with altered nutritional status.
  • Previous research suggested a potential for protein deficiency during malarial infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate serum protein levels in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
  • To compare these levels with those of healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Serum protein levels were measured in 158 patients diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
  • Levels were statistically compared to a control group using p-values.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in serum protein levels between malarial patients and controls.
  • This finding contradicts earlier reports of protein deficiency in malaria.

Conclusions:

  • The study suggests that Plasmodium falciparum malaria may not significantly alter overall serum protein levels.
  • The implications for protein catabolism during malarial fever require further investigation.

More Related Videos

An In Vitro Model for Measuring Immune Responses to Malaria in the Context of HIV Co-infection08:14

An In Vitro Model for Measuring Immune Responses to Malaria in the Context of HIV Co-infection

Published on: October 6, 2015

Quantitative Measurement of Intrathecally Synthesized Proteins in Mice08:23

Quantitative Measurement of Intrathecally Synthesized Proteins in Mice

Published on: November 29, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

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...
Malaria01:29

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...