Abstract
BackgroundMalaria and helminth co infection are common in tropical and subtropical areas where they affect the life of millions of people. While both helminth and malaria parasites have immunomodulatory activities, little is known about the consequence of co-infections on malaria antigen specific immune responses.Method/DesignThis study will be conducted in two rural areas of the Moyen Ogooué province in Gabon, endemic for both Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma haematobium infections. Participants, 5 to 50 years old, will be enrolled and grouped according to their infection status. S. haematobium and malaria parasites will be detected, demographic and clinical data will be recorded and blood will be collected for hematological as well as for immunological assays. The level of antibody specific to Plasmodium falciparum blood stage and gametocyte antigens will be measured using ELISA. PBMC will be isolated for phenotyping of different T cell subsets ex vivo by flow cytometry and for culture and cytokine response assessment.DiscussionWe will provide a comprehensive picture of the interaction between schistosomes and malaria parasites which co-localize in peripheral blood. We will test the hypothesis that schistosome infection has an impact on specific humoral as well as on cellular immune responses to malaria antigens.
Highlights
Malaria and helminth co infection are common in tropical and subtropical areas where they affect the life of millions of people
Regarding the S. haematobium infection we found an overall prevalence of 43% in the PK15 area and 15% in Bindo village
The data available has shown that chronic helminthiasis can modulate and impair immune responses specific to malaria antigens
Summary
Malaria and helminth co infection are common in tropical and subtropical areas where they affect the life of millions of people. Malaria and helminth infections are two of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in developing countries (Brooker et al 2007; Hotez and Kamath 2009; Mwangi et al 2006) Both infections are highly endemic in tropical and sub tropical areas (Adegnika and Kremsner 2012; Akue et al 2011; Brooker et al 2007). Interaction between plasmodium and helminth species has been discussed; while some studies have highlighted the protective effect of helminth infection on severe malaria and its association with a decreased incidence of malaria attacks or malaria parasite density (Boel et al 2010; Lemaitre et al 2014; Nacher et al 2000), other studies have given a completely opposite picture (Le Hesran et al 2004; Sangweme et al 2010). Despite these opinions more data are needed to get a clear picture of the situation
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