Malaria Minute Podcast: Spleen Plays Major Role in Plasmodium vivax Infection

Spleen Plays Major Role in Plasmodium vivax Infection

The spleen plays a major role in the expression of P. vivax genes and the production of antigens associated with clinical protection, and scientists develop an AI that can detect Plasmodium infection in the blood.

Transcript:

Researchers have found that the spleen plays a major role in the expression of Plasmodium vivax genes that are responsible for cytoadhesion, a process that escalates malaria infection. The identified spleen-dependant antigens were immunogenic in natural infections and provoked an immune response associated with clinical protection. This suggests that the spleen plays a major role in vivax infection, not only in the expression of proteins for cytoadherence but in that it may also produce antigens associated with clinical protection.

And scientists have developed a piece of Artificial Intelligence that can detect Plasmodium infection in the blood. The deep learning technology classifies Plasmodium falciparum infection in blood sample images with over 99% accuracy. The AI was made available through a mobile app and a website, allowing for both on and offline diagnoses. The technology has not yet been tested with other forms of Plasmodium infection; it’s unclear whether it can differentiate between them.