Glomerulonephritis in common marmosets infected with Plasmodium brasilianum and Epstein-Barr virus

Plasmodium brasilianum causes chronic quartan malaria in the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus, whereas Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is followed by an infectious mononucleosis-like syndrome that resolves. We infected weanling marmosets with one or both of these pathogens. Timing of the infections influenced outcome. Six animals were simultaneously infected with both agents; four became seriously ill (with accompanying proteinuria and edema) and either died or were killed. Histopathology indicated that glomerulonephritis had developed. The two survivors had more-prolonged parasitemia than did animals infected with P. brasilianum alone, as did animals infected with EBV before P. brasilianum. Five of the six simultaneously infected animals had absent or low titers of antibody to Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigens when compared with the other EBV-infected animals. Our results suggest that combined infection may be part of the etiology of quartan malarial nephropathy.