Comparative study on Plasmodium vivax niches with emphasis on bone marrow and peripheral blood and their roles in the infection and pathology of this parasites

Malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax is the most widely distributed form of the disease in the world. Currently, 2.5 billion people are at risk of P. vivax infection, and in 2015 there were 8.5 million cases worldwide. Brazil, together with Venezuela, is the leader in cases in the Americas, with 99.5% of these reported in the region known as the Legal Amazon and, currently, more than 85% of cases in Brazil are caused by P. vivax. This Plasmodium species has several unique biological characteristics when compared to P. falciparum, such as: exclusive preference for reticulocyte infection; production of sexual stages (gametocytes) seen in peripheral blood very early after infection; formation of hypnozoites (a latent stage that remains in the liver), which make treatment difficult. Therefore, the same control measures used for P. falciparum have shown failures in controlling vivax malaria. Currently, P. vivax is considered a pathogen that causes severe immunopathological symptoms and an increase in the parasite’s resistance to chloroquine has alarmed the scientific community. Furthermore, the impossibility of cultivating the parasite in vitro for long periods, together with its particular characteristics, has been challenging the understanding of the biology of this pathogen. 

Project details

Basic Science
P. vivax

Feb 2022 — Jan 2023

Brazil