Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that viral brain infections may be a more important killer in African children than was previously thought.
The team, in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and scientists from the College of Medicine, Malawi, looked at the role of viral infections in children that presented in a coma, and found that more than one quarter of patients had a virus infecting their brain.
Malaria parasites in the blood
The study included children who also had malaria parasites in the blood, and whose coma would otherwise have been attributed to these parasites.
Professor Tom Solomon, from the Institute of Infection and Global Health, said: "We have known for a long time that finding malaria parasites in the blood of a sick child does not always mean the parasite is the cause.
"Many children living in villages in Malawi have blood full of parasites, apparently doing little harm, but ours is the first study to really look carefully for viral brain infections"
"We found that 32% of children with central nervous system infections had the malaria parasite, 21% of which died. We detected 12 different viruses, such as rabies, mumps, and human herpes, but significantly it was those with dual infection that went on to develop more severe symptoms, such as seizures."
The study showed that children who had both malaria parasites in the blood and a virus in the brain tended to be the most severely affected, and most likely to die.
Consider how pathogens interact
This means that scientists have to look more carefully at children infected with the disease in future, taking into consideration how two different pathogens interact to cause more severe disease.
Explore further: Chronic inflammation of blood vessels could help explain high childhood mortality in malaria regions
More information: download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/audio/langlo/2013/langlo_september.mp3
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Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that viral brain infections may be a more important killer in African children than was previously thought.
The team, in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and scientists from the College of Medicine, Malawi, looked at the role of viral infections in children that presented in a coma, and found that more than one quarter of patients had a virus infecting their brain.
Malaria parasites in the blood
The study included children who also had malaria parasites in the blood, and whose coma would otherwise have been attributed to these parasites.
Professor Tom Solomon, from the Institute of Infection and Global Health, said: "We have known for a long time that finding malaria parasites in the blood of a sick child does not always mean the parasite is the cause.
"Many children living in villages in Malawi have blood full of parasites, apparently doing little harm, but ours is the first study to really look carefully for viral brain infections"
"We found that 32% of children with central nervous system infections had the malaria parasite, 21% of which died. We detected 12 different viruses, such as rabies, mumps, and human herpes, but significantly it was those with dual infection that went on to develop more severe symptoms, such as seizures."
The study showed that children who had both malaria parasites in the blood and a virus in the brain tended to be the most severely affected, and most likely to die.
Consider how pathogens interact
This means that scientists have to look more carefully at children infected with the disease in future, taking into consideration how two different pathogens interact to cause more severe disease.
Explore further: Chronic inflammation of blood vessels could help explain high childhood mortality in malaria regions
More information: download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/audio/langlo/2013/langlo_september.mp3
Medical Xpress on facebook
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Chronic inflammation of blood vessels could help explain high childhood mortality in malaria regions
Sep 18, 2013
Recurrent episodes of malaria cause chronic inflammation in blood vessels that might predispose to future infections and may increase susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, a Wellcome Trust study in Malawian children finds.
Cross-species malaria immunity induced by chemically attenuated parasites
Jul 01, 2013
Malaria, a mosquito-born infectious disease, kills over 600,000 people every year. Research has focused on the development of a vaccine to prevent the disease; however, many malaria vaccines targeting parasite antigens have ...
Researchers find new class of highly potent antimalarial compounds
Jul 10, 2013
Despite renewed global efforts for eradication, malaria continues to exert devastating effects on human health. An estimated 220 million people are infected each year by malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted ...
Mosquito bites deliver potential new malaria vaccine
Sep 11, 2013
This study suggests that genetically engineered malaria parasites that are stunted through precise gene deletions (genetically attenuated parasites, or "GAP") could be used as a vaccine that protects against ...
Researchers reveal malaria's deadly grip
Jun 05, 2013
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the University of Oxford, NIMR Tanzania and Retrogenix LTD, have identified how malaria parasites ...
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4 hours ago
If rhesus macaques are good stand-ins for humans in studying Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the virus prefers the environment deep in the lungs, a finding that may help explain some ...
Researchers discover a new way that influenza can infect cells
17 hours ago
Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have uncovered a new mechanism by which influenza can infect cells – a finding that ultimately may have implications for immunity against the flu.
Data from across globe defines distinct Kawasaki disease season
17 hours ago
After more than four decades of research, strong evidence now shows that Kawasaki disease has a distinct seasonal occurrence shared by regions across the Northern hemisphere.
Booster dose of new meningitis vaccine may be beneficial
20 hours ago
A study of 4CMenB, a new vaccine to protect against meningitis B bacteria (which can cause potentially fatal bacterial meningitis in children), shows that waning immunity induced by infant vaccination can be overcome by a ...
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