Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2025
08:20
In Vitro Assay of Plasmodium-Infected Red Blood Cell Killing by Cytotoxic Lymphocytes
Published on: August 17, 2022
2.3K
African Plasmodium vivax malaria improbably rare or benign
1Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit, Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Trends in Parasitology
|June 6, 2022
Summary
Plasmodium vivax malaria transmission is occurring in Duffy-negative African populations, challenging previous assumptions of protection. This review explores the potential for P. vivax to cause disease in these individuals through novel infectious pathways.
Area of Science:
- Malariology
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Duffy negativity in sub-Saharan Africans was thought to confer protection against Plasmodium vivax malaria.
- Recent findings indicate P. vivax transmission in Duffy-negative African populations, with unknown scope and impact.
- P. vivax exhibits tropism for extravascular tissues like bone marrow and spleen outside Africa.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the plausibility of P. vivax causing disease in Duffy-negative Africans.
- To explore potential unrecognized health consequences of P. vivax infection in this demographic.
- To re-evaluate the role of Duffy negativity in malaria protection.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing epidemiological data on P. vivax distribution.
- Analysis of recent studies on P. vivax tropism and pathogenesis.
- Examination of biological mechanisms for extravascular infection and disease.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests P. vivax can infect Duffy-negative individuals.
- Extravascular tissue tropism can lead to persistent, low-parasitemia infections.
- These infections may manifest as acute or chronic diseases of unknown origin.
Conclusions:
- The protective role of Duffy negativity against P. vivax malaria in Africa may be incomplete.
- P. vivax could be an underdiagnosed cause of illness in Duffy-negative African populations.
- Further research is crucial to understand the distribution and clinical significance of P. vivax in Africa.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Diversity of Protists II
156
Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
156
00:58Symbiosis
31.2K
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...
31.2K
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
129
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
129
01:15Diversity of Protists I
150
Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...
150
01:27Overview of Protists
200
Protists are diverse eukaryotic microorganisms that lack the specialized tissues of plants and animals and the chitinous cell walls of fungi. Their early divergence within Eukarya resulted in structural, functional, and ecological diversity. They are classified into supergroups such as Archaeplastida, Excavata, Amoebozoa, Rhizaria, Alveolata, and Stramenopiles, determined through genetic analysis and structural similarities.Structural and Functional AdaptationsProtists have various adaptations...
200
01:27Diversity of Protists IV
140
Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...
140