![Insight into Cause of Cerebral Malaria]()
Infection by mosquito-borne Plasmodium species causes malaria, which remains a significant burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite anti-parasitic treatment, more than 25 percent of survivors suffer from brain damage known as cerebral malaria (CM). The World Health Organization reports that one child dies every minute of malaria complications, including CM. In a study published in PLOS Pathogens, Mahalia Desruisseaux, M.D., and colleagues demonstrated that endothelin-1, a factor associated with a decrease in cerebral blood flow, may be involved in causing CM. Using a mouse model of CM, Dr. Desruisseaux’s group showed that inhibiting endothelin-1 could prevent cognitive dysfunction, increase cerebral blood flow and prolong survival of infected mice. Understanding endothelin-1’s mechanism of action may reveal targets for new malarial treatments. Dr. Desruisseaux is assistant professor of pathology and of medicine.
Posted on: Tuesday, April 05, 2016