       Document 0598
 DOCN  M9620598
 TI    Acute Plasmodium falciparum infection is associated with increased
       percentages of apoptotic cells.
 DT    9602
 AU    Balde AT; Sarthou JL; Roussilhon C; Unite d'Immunologie, Institut
       Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal, West; Africa.
 SO    Immunol Lett. 1995 May;46(1-2):59-62. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96078154
 AB    The impact of acute malaria infection on the level of spontaneous
       apoptosis, i.e., the percentage of apoptotic cells detectable in
       lymphocytes cultured without any exogenous stimulus for 3 days in vitro,
       was evaluated. Quantitation of apoptosis was performed by staining of
       lymphocyte nuclei with propidium iodide and analysis of the fluorescence
       by cytometry. The mean apoptosis of 23 HIV-negative patients (15
       Africans and 8 Europeans) determined during a confirmed Plasmodium
       falciparum attack was 27.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 23.5-30.7%)
       i.e., 2.2 times the mean level found in 49 controls (12.4%, CI =
       11.1-13.6). These controls included age- and sex-matched Africans (n =
       37) and Europeans (n = 12) differing only by their previous level of
       exposure to P. falciparum. Naive (European) as well as previously
       exposed (African) subjects showed dramatically elevated levels of
       spontaneous apoptosis during the malaria attack (mean = 22.5%, CI =
       20.7-24.4 for Europeans; mean = 29.7%, CI = 24.6-34.7 for Africans).
       Such unusually raised levels were observed for at least 1.5 months and
       were probably detectable for longer periods as suggested by the fact
       that the mean level of spontaneous apoptosis in healthy Africans was
       basically higher (13.8%, CI = 12.5-15) than the one found in healthy
       Europeans (8.2%, CI = 6.3-10.1) (P = 0.0001). Selective immunomagnetic
       cell isolations carried out immediately before apoptosis quantitation
       showed that this process affected not only the alpha beta T cells (CD4+
       T cells as well as CD8+ T cells) but also the gamma delta T cells and
       the B-lymphocyte subset.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Acute Disease  Apoptosis/*IMMUNOLOGY  Human  Leukocytes,
       Mononuclear/PHYSIOLOGY  Lymphocyte Count  Malaria,
       Falciparum/*IMMUNOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

