Approximately 6% of children hospitalized with severe falciparum malaria in Africa are also bacteremic. It is therefore recommended that all children with severe malaria should receive broad-spectrum antibiotics in addition to parenteral artesunate. Empirical antibiotics are not recommended currently for adults with severe malaria.
Malaria strongly predisposes to bacteremia, which is associated with sequestration of parasitized red blood cells and increased gastrointestinal permeability. The mechanisms underlying this disruption are poorly understood. Here we evaluated the expression of factors associated with mast cell activation and malaria-associated bacteremia in a rodent model. C57BL/6J mice were infected with Plasmodium yoelii yoelli 17XNL and blood and tissues were collected over time to assay for circulating levels of bacterial 16S DNA, IgE, mast cell protease 1 (Mcpt-1) and Mcpt-4, Th1 and Th2 cytokines as well as patterns of ileal mastocytosis and intestinal permeability.
Symptomatic malaria is predominantly a disease of childhood in areas of higher transmission (i.e. much of sub-Saharan Africa). Most cases of severe malaria occur in children less than 5 years of age. In these regions both malaria and sepsis are major causes of childhood death, yet the clinical distinction between the two is difficult, particularly if there is no obvious focus of infection. Furthermore, severe malaria predisposes to bacterial infections, particularly with Salmonella sp, so a very sick child may have both.
The epidemiology of febrile illness etiologies is under-explored in resource-poor settings. Establishing a local repertory of microorganisms circulating in blood of febrile and afebrile people is important for physicians. Blood was collected from 428 febrile and 88 afebrile children in Makokou (Gabon) and analyzed using polymerase chain reaction. Plasmodium spp. were the pathogens, which were most detected in febrile children (69.6%; 298/428) and in afebrile children (31.8%; 28/88) (P < 0.0001).
