Plasmodium and intestinal parasite perturbations of the infected host’s inflammatory responses: a systematic review

• Main Authors: Aminata Colle Lo, Babacar Faye, Ben Adu Gyan, Linda Eva Amoah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2018-07-01
• Series: Parasites & Vectors
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-018-2948-8

Abstract Co-infection of malaria and intestinal parasites is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and causes severe disease especially among the poorest populations. It has been shown that an intestinal parasite (helminth), mixed intestinal helminth or Plasmodium parasite infection in a human induces a wide range of cytokine responses, including anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory as well as regulatory cytokines. Although immunological interactions have been suggested to occur during a concurrent infection of helminths and Plasmodium parasites, different conclusions have been drawn on the influence this co-infection has on cytokine production. This review briefly discusses patterns of selected cytokine (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and INF-γ) responses associated with infections caused by Plasmodium, intestinal parasites as well as a Plasmodium-helminth co-infection.