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Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, March 2006, p. 376-379, Vol. 13, No. 3
1071-412X/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.13.3.376-379.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Subsets in Patients with Acute Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax Malaria Infections at Wonji Sugar Estate, Ethiopia

Desta Kassa,1* Beyene Petros,2 Tsehaynesh Mesele,1 Ermias Hailu,1 and Dawit Wolday1

Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI),1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia2

Received 5 April 2005/ Returned for modification 26 May 2005/ Accepted 20 December 2005

We investigated the absolute counts of CD4+, CD8+, B, NK, and CD3+ cells and total lymphocytes in patients with acute Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria. Three-color flow cytometry was used for enumerating the immune cells. After slide smears were stained with 3% Giemsa stain, parasite species were detected using light microscopy. Data were analyzed using STATA and SPSS software. A total of 204 adults of both sexes (age, >15 years) were included in the study. One hundred fifty-eight were acute malaria patients, of whom 79 (50%) were infected with P. falciparum, 76 (48.1%) were infected with P. vivax, and 3 (1.9%) were infected with both malaria parasites. The remaining 46 subjects were healthy controls. The leukocyte count in P. falciparum patients was lower than that in controls (P = 0.015). Absolute counts of CD4+, CD8+, B, and CD3+ cells and total lymphocytes were decreased very significantly during both P. falciparum (P < 0.0001) and P. vivax (P < 0.0001) infections. However, the NK cell count was an exception in that it was not affected by either P. falciparum or P. vivax malaria. No difference was found in the percentages of CD4, CD8, and CD3 cells in P. falciparum or P. vivax patients compared to controls. In summary, acute malaria infection causes a depletion of lymphocyte populations in the peripheral blood. Thus, special steps should be taken in dealing with malaria patients, including enumeration of peripheral lymphocyte cells for diagnostic purposes and research on peripheral blood to evaluate the immune status of patients.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), P.O. Box 1242, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Phone: 251-0911-479212. Fax: 251-0112-75-63-29. E-mail: dkassa2003{at}yahoo.com, desta{at}enarp.com.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, March 2006, p. 376-379, Vol. 13, No. 3
1071-412X/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.13.3.376-379.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Brentlinger, P. E., Behrens, C. B., Kublin, J. G. (2007). Challenges in the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Malaria in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa. Arch Intern Med 167: 1827-1836 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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