--- - Label: BACKGROUND NlmCategory: BACKGROUND content: The presence of Plasmodium vivax malaria parasites in the human bone marrow (BM) is still controversial. However, recent data from a clinical case and experimental infections in splenectomized
nonhuman primates unequivocally demonstrated the presence of
parasites in this tissue. - Label: METHODS NlmCategory: METHODS
content: In the current study, we analyzed BM aspirates of 7
patients during the acute attack and 42 days after drug
treatment. RNA extracted from CD71+ cell suspensions was used
for sequencing and transcriptomic analysis. - Label: RESULTS
NlmCategory: RESULTS content: We demonstrated the presence of
parasites in all patients during acute infections. To provide
further insights, we purified CD71+ BM cells and demonstrated
dyserythropoiesis and inefficient erythropoiesis in all
patients. In addition, RNA sequencing from 3 patients showed
that genes related to erythroid maturation were down-regulated
during acute infections, whereas immune response genes were
up-regulated. - Label: CONCLUSIONS NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
content: This study thus shows that during P. vivax infections,
parasites are always present in the BM and that such infections
induced dyserythropoiesis and ineffective erythropoiesis.
Moreover, infections induce transcriptional changes associated
with such altered erythropoietic response, thus highlighting the
importance of this hidden niche during natural infections