TNF-inducing malaria toxin: a sheep in wolf's clothing?
It has long been believed that paroxysms of malaria fever are due to a toxin released by rupturing schizonts. The nature of this toxin is beginning to be understood. A critical mediator of malaria fever is tumour necrosis factor (TNF), which is released by monocytes/macrophages and is a potent pyrogen. Rupturing schizonts release a toxin (or toxins) that stimulate macrophages to release TNF. The precise structure of the toxin is unknown but it appears to involve a phosphatidylinositol-like moiety. In addition to causing fever, TNF-inducing toxins are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria. However, cerebral malaria occurs in only a small proportion of infected individuals; for the population as a whole, the benefits of the TNF response to the malaria toxin probably outweigh its disadvantages.
Kwiatkowski
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Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, U.K.
D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D016779:Malaria, Cerebral / Q000209:etiology; D011749:Pyrogens / Q000378:metabolism; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D011749:Pyrogens; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha