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European Cytokine Network

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Severe malarial anemia associated with increased soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) concentrations in Gabonese children Volume 14, numéro 4, Oct.-Nov.-Dec.

Auteurs
Unité de Recherches Médicales, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, Lambaréné, Gabon; Sektion Humanparasitologie, Institut fr Tropenmedizin, University of Tbingen, Germany

To investigate if severe malarial anemia is associated with specific cytokine overproduction, we evaluated serum levels of soluble Fas ligand (sFasL), tumor necrosis factor (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) from three groups of young children with Plasmodium falciparum infection (asymptomatic cases, uncomplicated malaria cases and severe malarial anemia cases), in a hyperendemic area of Gabon. In uncomplicated cases, only TNF levels were significantly ( p < 0.001) increased in comparison to asymptomatic cases with P. falciparum infection. High levels of sFasL, TNF‐α and IL‐10 were associated with low hemoglobin concentrations, sFasL levels were significantly higher in children with severe malarial anemia ( p < 0.001) as compared to both other groups. The parasite density was positively correlated with IL‐10, TNF‐α and sFasL levels. TNF‐α and sFasL, but not IL‐10 or parasitemia, were independent predictors of hemoglobin concentrations. These results suggest that, in malaria, a specific dysregulation of the cytokine balance may lead to complications such as severe anemia.