title: Murine malaria is associated with significant hearing impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasmodium falciparum malaria has been suspected to cause hearing loss. Developmental, cognitive and language disorders have been observed in children, surviving cerebral malaria. This prospective study aims to evaluate whether malaria influences hearing in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty mice were included in a standardized murine cerebral malaria model. Auditory evoked brainstem responses were assessed before infection and at the peak of the illness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant hearing impairment could be demonstrated in mice with malaria, especially the cerebral form. The control group did not show any alterations. No therapy was used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This suggests that malaria itself leads to a hearing impairment in mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck Austria. Joachim.Schmutzhard@i-med.ac.at
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmutzhard
authors.forename: Christian H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kositz
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lackner
authors.forename: Anelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dietmann
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Glueckert
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reindl
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stephan
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Riechelmann
authors.forename: Annelies
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schrott-Fischer
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schmutzhard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001299:Audiometry; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D016779:Malaria, Cerebral / Q000150:complications* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000302:isolation & purification