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Macrophages/microglial cells in patients with cerebral malaria
Martin H Deininger1, Peter G Kremsner, Richard Meyermann
1Institute of Brain Research, University of Tuebingen Medical School, Calwer Str. 3, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany. martin.denninger@uni-tuebingen.de
Abstract:
Cerebral malaria is a life threatening sequel of Plasmodium falciparum infection and contributes significantly to malaria mortality, especially among children. Accumulation of macrophages and proliferation of microglial cells play key roles in cerebral malaria and are thought to contribute to the pathophysiological alterations observed in these patients, which include enhanced adherence of infected erythrocytes to the cerebral vasculature by expression and secretion of proinflammatory molecules, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, recruitment of other inflammatory cells to the lesion site. In this review, recent advances in the understanding of the involvement of macrophages/microglial cells in the development of cerebral malaria are summarized.