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Dynamics of osteopontin levels and correlation with parasitemia in acute malaria in Uganda and Sweden

Mortazavi, Susanne E LU orcid ; Lugaajju, Allan LU ; Danielsson, Lena LU ; Wu, Bingyan LU ; Norrgren, Hans LU and Persson, Kristina E M LU (2024) In BMC Infectious Diseases 24(1).
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a significant public health concern, especially for the deadliest parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. During acute malaria, various cytokines, including osteopontin (OPN), regulate the immune response. OPN has been shown to be protective against malaria in mice. Nonetheless, its precise function and potential ability to control parasites during acute malaria in humans remain poorly understood.

RESULTS: Blood samples were collected from Swedish adults with imported malaria, Ugandan children and adults with symptomatic malaria (including follow-up after 42 days), Ugandans with non-malarial fever and healthy individuals from both Uganda and Sweden. Parasitemia was determined by microscopy. Malaria-negative... (More)

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a significant public health concern, especially for the deadliest parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. During acute malaria, various cytokines, including osteopontin (OPN), regulate the immune response. OPN has been shown to be protective against malaria in mice. Nonetheless, its precise function and potential ability to control parasites during acute malaria in humans remain poorly understood.

RESULTS: Blood samples were collected from Swedish adults with imported malaria, Ugandan children and adults with symptomatic malaria (including follow-up after 42 days), Ugandans with non-malarial fever and healthy individuals from both Uganda and Sweden. Parasitemia was determined by microscopy. Malaria-negative samples were verified by LAMP. OPN and interferon-γ (IFN- γ) levels were measured using ELISA. In children, OPN levels were significantly higher during acute infection compared to levels after 42 days, whereas Ugandan adults showed no difference. Swedish adults with imported malaria had elevated OPN levels compared to both Swedish controls and Ugandan adults with malaria. Parasitemia was significantly correlated with both OPN and IFN-γ levels across the entire cohort. While a significant correlation between OPN and IFN-γ was evident overall, it remained statistically significant only in Ugandan adults when analyzed by subgroups. This suggests that OPN is not just a general marker of inflammation but may be regulated differently during the development of malaria immunity.

CONCLUSIONS: In acute malaria, elevated OPN levels showed a stronger correlation with lack of immunity than age. These findings underscore the potential importance of OPN in malaria, particularly in non-immune individuals.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Uganda/epidemiology, Sweden/epidemiology, Male, Adult, Parasitemia/blood, Female, Child, Osteopontin/blood, Interferon-gamma/blood, Child, Preschool, Malaria/blood, Young Adult, Adolescent, Malaria, Falciparum/blood, Middle Aged, Infant, Plasmodium falciparum
in
BMC Infectious Diseases
volume
24
issue
1
article number
1164
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85206435511
  • pmid:39407132
ISSN
1471-2334
DOI
10.1186/s12879-024-10076-x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© 2024. The Author(s).
id
8b7c24a9-b68a-46ba-9a72-25cad91f3f44
date added to LUP
2024-10-18 08:19:31
date last changed
2025-07-10 09:21:17
@article{8b7c24a9-b68a-46ba-9a72-25cad91f3f44,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a significant public health concern, especially for the deadliest parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. During acute malaria, various cytokines, including osteopontin (OPN), regulate the immune response. OPN has been shown to be protective against malaria in mice. Nonetheless, its precise function and potential ability to control parasites during acute malaria in humans remain poorly understood.</p><p>RESULTS: Blood samples were collected from Swedish adults with imported malaria, Ugandan children and adults with symptomatic malaria (including follow-up after 42 days), Ugandans with non-malarial fever and healthy individuals from both Uganda and Sweden. Parasitemia was determined by microscopy. Malaria-negative samples were verified by LAMP. OPN and interferon-γ (IFN- γ) levels were measured using ELISA. In children, OPN levels were significantly higher during acute infection compared to levels after 42 days, whereas Ugandan adults showed no difference. Swedish adults with imported malaria had elevated OPN levels compared to both Swedish controls and Ugandan adults with malaria. Parasitemia was significantly correlated with both OPN and IFN-γ levels across the entire cohort. While a significant correlation between OPN and IFN-γ was evident overall, it remained statistically significant only in Ugandan adults when analyzed by subgroups. This suggests that OPN is not just a general marker of inflammation but may be regulated differently during the development of malaria immunity.</p><p>CONCLUSIONS: In acute malaria, elevated OPN levels showed a stronger correlation with lack of immunity than age. These findings underscore the potential importance of OPN in malaria, particularly in non-immune individuals.</p>}},
  author       = {{Mortazavi, Susanne E and Lugaajju, Allan and Danielsson, Lena and Wu, Bingyan and Norrgren, Hans and Persson, Kristina E M}},
  issn         = {{1471-2334}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Uganda/epidemiology; Sweden/epidemiology; Male; Adult; Parasitemia/blood; Female; Child; Osteopontin/blood; Interferon-gamma/blood; Child, Preschool; Malaria/blood; Young Adult; Adolescent; Malaria, Falciparum/blood; Middle Aged; Infant; Plasmodium falciparum}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Infectious Diseases}},
  title        = {{Dynamics of osteopontin levels and correlation with parasitemia in acute malaria in Uganda and Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-10076-x}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s12879-024-10076-x}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}