Complement consumption in children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Complement (C) can be activated during malaria, C components consumed and inflammatory mediators produced. This has potential to impair host innate defence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a case-control study, C activation was assessed by measuring serum haemolytic activity (CH50), functional activity of each pathway and levels of C3a, C4a and C5a in children presenting at Kisumu District Hospital, western Kenya, with severe malarial anaemia (SMA) or uncomplicated malaria (UM).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CH50 median titers for lysis of sensitized sheep erythrocytes in SMA (8.6 U/mL) were below normal (34–70 U/mL) and were one-fourth the level in UM (34.6 U/mL (<it>P </it>< 0.001). Plasma C3a median levels were 10 times higher than in normals for</p> <p>SMA (3,200 ng/ml) and for UM (3,500 ng/ml), indicating substantial C activation in both groups. Similar trends were obtained for C4a and C5a. The activities of all three C pathways were greatly reduced in SMA compared to UM (9.9% vs 83.4% for CP, 0.09% vs 30.7% for MBL and 36.8% vs 87.7% for AP respectively, <it>P </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that, while C activation occurs in both SMA and UM, C consumption is excessive in SMA. It is speculated that in SMA, consumption of C exceeds its regeneration.</p

Epidemiology of Theileria bicornis among black and white rhinoceros metapopulation in Kenya

[Background] A huge effort in rhinoceros conservation has focused on poaching and habitat loss as factors leading to the dramatic declines in the endangered eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) and the southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). Nevertheless, the role disease and parasite infections play in the mortality of protected populations has largely received limited attention. Infections with piroplasmosis caused by Babesia bicornis and Theileria bicornis has been shown to be fatal especially in small and isolated populations in Tanzania and South Africa. However, the occurrence and epidemiology of these parasites in Kenyan rhinoceros is not known.[Results] Utilizing 18S rRNA gene as genetic marker to detect rhinoceros infection with Babesia and Theileria, we examined blood samples collected from seven rhinoceros populations consisting of 114 individuals of black and white rhinoceros. The goal was to determine the prevalence in Kenyan populations, and to assess the association of Babesia and Theileria infection with host species, age, sex, location, season and population mix (only black rhinoceros comparing to black and white rhinoceros populations). We did not detect any infection with Babesia in the sequenced samples, while the prevalence of T. bicornis in the Kenyan rhinoceros population was 49.12% (56/114). White rhinoceros had significantly higher prevalence of infection (66%) compared to black rhinoceros (43%). The infection of rhinoceros with Theileria was not associated with animal age, sex or location. The risk of infection with Theileria was not higher in mixed species populations compared to populations of pure black rhinoceros.[Conclusion] In the rhinoceros studied, we did not detect the presence of Babesia bicornis, while Theileria bicornis was found to have a 49.12% prevalence with white rhinoceros showing a higher prevalence (66%) comparing with black rhinoceros (43%). Other factors such as age, sex, location, and population mix were not found to play a significant role.We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)Peer reviewe

First reported case of fatal tuberculosis in a wild African elephant with past human-wildlife contact

Tuberculosis is emerging/re-emerging in captive elephant populations, where it causes morbidity and deaths, although no case of TB in wild African elephants has been reported. In this paper we report the first case of fatal TB in an African elephant in the wild. The infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis was confirmed by post-mortem and histological examinations of a female sub-adult elephant aged >12 years that died in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, while under treatment. This case is unique in that during its lifetime the elephant had contact with both humans and wild elephants. The source of the infection was unclear because the elephant could have acquired the infection in the orphanage or in the wild. However, our results show that wild elephants can maintain human TB in the wild and that the infection can be fatal.Peer reviewe