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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 80(3), 2009, pp. 475-478
Copyright © 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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SHORT REPORT


Childhood Coinfections with Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma mansoni Result in Lower Percentages of Activated T Cells and T Regulatory Memory Cells than Schistosomiasis Only

Erick M. O. Mouk*, Pauline N. M. Mwinzi, Carla L. Black, Jennifer M. Carter, Zipporah W. Ng’ang’a, Michael M. Gicheru, W. Evan Secor, Diana M. S. Karanja, AND Daniel G. Colley
Kenya Medical Research Institute, Center for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya; Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, and the Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya; Department of Zoological Sciences, Kenyatta University, Kenya; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia

 

ABSTRACT

Flow cytometric analyses were performed to evaluate HLA-DR + activated T lymphocytes (Tact; CD3 +/CD4 +/CD25medium) and T regulatory cells (Treg; CD3 +/CD4+/CD25high) in the circulation of children 8–10 years of age living in an area endemic for both Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma mansoni in western Kenya. Those children with only S. mansoni had a higher mean percentage of HLA-DR + Tact than those who were co-infected with these two intravascular parasites. The proportion of circulating Treg was comparable in children with only schistosomiasis and both schistosomiasis and malaria. However, the mean level of memory Treg (Treg expressing CD45RO +) in those with dual infections was lower than in children with schistosomiasis alone. These imbalances in Tact and Treg memory subsets in children infected with both schistosomiasis and malaria may be related to the differential morbidity or course of infection attributed to coinfections with these parasites.

Received September 25, 2008. Accepted for publication December 8, 2008.

Acknowledgments: We thank Erick Livaha, Esther Wanjala, Keziah Odhiambo, Hassan Jimale, and Henry Karanja for technical assistance. We are grateful to all the children and their parents/guardians for their participation.

Financial support: This work was supported by PHS grants AI 053695 (DGC) and T32 AI 060546 (CLB) from the NIAID and D43 TW007123 (PNMM) from the FIC of the National Institutes of Health, the PHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Disclaimer: This work is published with the permission of the Director, Kenya Medical Research Institute. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC. The authors have no commercial or other association that might pose a conflict of interest.

* Address correspondence to Erick M. O. Mouk, Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, PO Box 1578, Kisumu, Kenya. E-mail: emouk{at}kisian.mimcom.net

Authors’ addresses: Erick M. O. Mouk, Pauline N. M. Mwinzi, and Diana M. S. Karanja, Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, PO Box 1578, Kisumu, Kenya, E-mails: emouk{at}kisian.mimcom.net, pmwinzi{at}kisian.mimcom.net, and dkaranja{at}kisian.mimcom.net. Carla L. Black, Jennifer M. Carter, and Daniel G. Colley, Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Room 145 Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7399, E-mails: blackc{at}uga.edu, ginaphur{at}uga.edu, and dcolley{at}uga.edu. Zipporah W. Ng’ang’a, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya, E-mail: Zipnganga{at}gmail.com. Michael M. Gicheru, Department of Zoological Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya, E-mail: mgicheru{at}africaonline.co.ke. W. Evan Secor, Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, N.E., Mail-stop F-13, Atlanta, GA 30341, E-mail: was4{at}cdc.gov.

Reprint requests: Daniel G. Colley, Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Coverdell Center, Room 330B, University of Georgia, 500 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602, E-mail: dcolley{at}uga.edu.






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