Pathology of Tnf-deficient mice infected with Plasmodium chabaudi adami 408XZ.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf) plays a pleiotropic role in murine malaria. Some investigations have correlated Tnf with hypothermia, hyperlactatemia, hypoglycemia, and a suppression of the erythropoietic response, although others have not. In this study, we have evaluated parasitemia, survival rate and several pathological features in C57BL/6JTnf(-/-) and C57BL/6JTnf(+/+) mice after infection with Plasmodium chabaudi adami 408XZ. Compared to the C57BL/6JTnf(+/+) mice, C57BL/6JTnf(-/-) mice showed increased parasitemia and decreased survival rate, whereas blood glucose, blood lactate and body weight were not significantly different. However, C57BL/6JTnf(-/-) mice suffered significantly more from severe anemia and hypothermia than C57BL/6JTnf(+/+) mice. These results suggest that Tnf is an important mediator of parasite control, but not of anemia development. We hypothesize that the high mortality observed in the Tnf knock-out mice is due to increased anemia and pathology as a direct result of increased levels of parasitemia.
Hernandez-Valladares
M
M
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Naivasha Road, P.O. Box 30709, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya. mhernandez@imcb.a-star.edu.sg
Naessens
J
J
Musoke
A J
AJ
Sekikawa
K
K
Rihet
P
P
Ole-Moiyoi
O K
OK
Busher
P
P
Iraqi
F A
FA
D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001831:Body Temperature; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality; D016788:Plasmodium chabaudi / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000276:immunology
D001786:Blood Glucose; D006454:Hemoglobins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019344:Lactic Acid