Malaria

This ebook describes the pathogenesis of malaria and the major consequences of the parasitism to the vertebrate host. Malaria is one of the oldest infectious diseases of mankind, which still exerts a high burden on human health and society. It is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, and transmitted by Anopheline mosquitoes. Despite several decades of intensive control efforts, malaria remains widely distributed with an estimated 3.3 billion of the world's population at risk of infection. The malaria life cycle is extremely complex and the blood stage parasites are responsible for all the symptoms and pathology of malaria. Because of this strict association between the parasites and red cells, there are numerous consequences to the host's blood extending far beyond the direct effect of parasitized RBCs. Chapter 1 of the ebook summarizes the different clinical and pathogenic features of the disease, comparing the disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, the two prevalent malaria species. This chapter is the basis of the remaining chapters, in which the different mechanisms of the pathogenesis of malaria are discussed in greater depth. In this direction, in Chapter 2 we discuss the role of host and parasite genetic diversity, which determines the malaria pathogenesis. Chapter 3 discusses the immune mechanisms associated with malarial anemia, a multifactorial clinical outcome which has not been fully addressed. In Chapter 4 we focus on the immune response associated with parasite control and microvascular damage. Chapter 5 presents information about epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of cerebral malaria (CM), the most severe neurological complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Understanding how an intraerythrocytic parasite, which remains within the vascular space of the brain, causes profound neurological effects will be explained in Chapter 6, which presents the interesting mechanism of interaction between infected red blood cells (RBC) and the blood brain barrier (BBB). Finally in Chapter 7 we conclude with a discussion of the mechanisms of persistent cognitive and memory impairment associated with cerebral malaria. We hope that this ebook will be useful for students, professionals and researchers by providing an up-to-date summary of the factors that determine Plasmodium-associated morbidity and severe disease.