title: Immunopathology of thrombocytopenia in experimental malaria.
abstract: An early thrombocytopenia was observed in CBA mice during acute infection with Plasmodium berghei. This was associated with an increase in bone marrow megakaryocytes and a reduction of normal syngeneic 111Indium-labelled platelet life span. Malaria-induced thrombocytopenia was thus considered to be the result of increased peripheral platelet destruction rather than central hypoproduction. The occurrence of thrombocytopenia was modulated by T-cell depletion. Indeed, thymectomized, irradiated or anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody-treated mice failed to develop thrombocytopenia, although they were infected to the same extent. Conversely, a significant thrombocytopenia was observed in thymectomized mice reconstituted with CD4+ T cells. During the course of infection, a significant inverse correlation was found between platelet counts and platelet-associated IgG. Normal mice passively transferred with serum from syngeneic malaria-infected mice developed thrombocytopenia. The possibility to raise monoclonal anti-platelet antibodies from P. berghei-infected animals further suggested a role for an antibody-mediated platelet destruction during acute murine malaria infection. These results indicate that in murine malaria, thrombocytopenia is mediated by immune mechanisms and that CD4+ T cells might be significantly involved.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Immunology Research and Training Centre, Department of Pathology, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Grau
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Piguet
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gretener
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vesin
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007700:Kinetics; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications*; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D010962:Plasmodium berghei; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G