title: Deletion of C-reactive protein ameliorates experimental cerebral malaria?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  C-reactive protein (CRP) level correlates with parasitemia and severity of malaria, but whether this reflects causality remains unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using CRP-transgenic and CRP-deficient mice we compared the onset and severity of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) induced by Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  CRP-deficient mice were most resistant to ECM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CRP might contribute to the development of cerebral malaria, rather than protect against it.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Szalai
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA sbarnum@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Barnum
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Theresa N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Ramos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D016779:Malaria, Cerebral / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Acute phase protein; C-reactive protein; Cerebral malaria; Parasitemia