Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum
10:22

Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum

Published on: December 4, 2015

The pathophysiology of malarial anaemia: where have all the red cells gone?

Oscar K Kai1, David J Roberts

  • 1Wellcome Trust/Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Immunology Department, PO Box 230, Kilifi 80108, Kenya. okai@kilifi.kemri-wellcome.org

BMC Medicine
|August 23, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Malarial anaemia disproportionately affects young children due to increased red blood cell clearance and poor bone marrow response. An age-dependent increase in red blood cells

Area of Science:

  • Immunology and Infectious Diseases
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Malarial anaemia is a major public health issue, particularly in children under three in endemic regions.
  • It results from accelerated clearance of uninfected red blood cells and inadequate bone marrow response.

Discussion:

  • The study explores the link between the age distribution of malarial anaemia and red blood cell hemolysis.
  • This connection may involve an age-dependent enhancement in red blood cells' ability to inactivate complement components on their surface.

Key Insights:

  • Complement deposition on red blood cells plays a role in malarial anaemia pathology.
  • Genetic variations in complement regulatory proteins impact malaria infection outcomes.
  • New findings illuminate the age-specific patterns observed in severe malaria syndromes.

Outlook:

  • Further research into complement-mediated red blood cell destruction in malaria is warranted.
  • Understanding these mechanisms could lead to targeted interventions for severe malaria in children.

More Related Videos

A Simple Protocol for Platelet-mediated Clumping of Plasmodium falciparum-infected Erythrocytes in a Resource Poor Setting07:27

A Simple Protocol for Platelet-mediated Clumping of Plasmodium falciparum-infected Erythrocytes in a Resource Poor Setting

Published on: May 16, 2013

In Vivo Tracking of Edema Development and Microvascular Pathology in a Model of Experimental Cerebral Malaria Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging09:04

In Vivo Tracking of Edema Development and Microvascular Pathology in a Model of Experimental Cerebral Malaria Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: June 8, 2017

Related Concept Videos

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...
Disorders of Erythrocytes01:27

Disorders of Erythrocytes

Disorders of erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs), include a range of conditions affecting their number, shape, or function.
Erythrocyte disorders can be broadly categorized into two main types: anemic and polycythemic conditions.
A low oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to the loss, lower production, or destruction of erythrocytes is termed anemia. Hemorrhagic anemia, for example, occurs when bleeding from an external wound or internal ulcer reduces erythrocyte counts.
On the other...
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...
Lifecycle of Erythrocytes01:22

Lifecycle of Erythrocytes

Erythrocytes, also known as red blood cells, constantly move through blood capillaries. As a result, they damage their plasma membrane due to the continuous friction. Typically, after 100 to 120 days, erythrocytes become rigid and fragile as they wear out. As they pass through small vessels in the spleen and liver, they can get trapped and break apart into fragments.
The resident phagocytic macrophages deal with these damaged cells by engulfing them and separating their globin and heme groups.
Erythropoiesis01:14

Erythropoiesis

Red blood cells  (RBCs) transport oxygen to all body tissues. These cells survive only for 120 days and then need to be replenished. Erythropoiesis is the process of RBC production. In healthy individuals, erythropoiesis ensures all tissues are amply supplied with oxygen. In addition, blood loss due to injury leads to a drop in the physiological oxygen level that will cause erythropoiesis. Any defect in erythropoiesis leads to several physiological disorders, including thalassemia, anemia, and...
Yellow Fever01:18

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), a member of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted primarily by Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South America. After transmission through a mosquito bite, the virus initially replicates in skin-resident immune cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. These cells then migrate to the lymph nodes, where viral replication increases, eventually leading to...