A health worker tests a person for malaria in a temporary flood relief camp in Assam. Credit: David Talukdar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
By monitoring levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neutrophils — a type of white blood cells — researchers report a potential new way to predict how much natural protection people may have against malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum1.
The scientists monitored ROS, which cells generate in defense against malaria, among people in malaria endemic countries India and Ghana. They observed a series of molecular signals (FcyR signals) triggered by anti-malarial antibodies.
Ebenezer Addo Ofori and colleagues, including Subhash Singh at Indian Council of Medical Research, used peripheral blood leukocytes from blood samples to study ROS production inside and outside cells. They discovered that neutrophils were the primary blood phagocytes generating ROS on exposure to malaria merozoites, the invasive blood stage of malarial parasites.
The ability of plasma samples to stimulate neutrophil ROS generation was strongly associated with immunity against clinical malaria. ROS production was linked to protection against febrile malaria in the two geographically diverse regions.
The study highlights the importance of neutrophils in providing naturally acquired immunity against malaria and suggests that targeting these cells could be a potential strategy for developing new treatments or vaccines.
