An experimental model for fatal malaria due to TNF-alpha-dependent hepatic damage
E Seixas1, P Oliveira, J F Moura Nunes
1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal. eseixas@igc.gulbenkian.pt
Parasitology
|April 2, 2008
Abstract:
While BALB/c mice survive infection with blood stages of Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (AS), 70% of DBA/2 mice die by day 9-11 of infection, both strains controlling parasitaemia. We describe here that infection of DBA/2 mice results in extensive, multifocal hepatocyte death. Antibody neutralization of TNF-alpha prevents both liver damage and death.


