title: Ethnic differences in susceptibility to malaria: what have we learned from immuno-epidemiological studies in West Africa?
abstract: There are many fundamental aspects of the immunobiology of Plasmodium falciparum infections that are not fully understood, therefore limiting our comprehension of how people become immune to malaria and why some ethnic groups living in malaria endemic areas are less susceptible than others. The complexity of parasite-host interactions and the genetic diversity of the parasites as well as the human host complicate our strategy to address this issue. In this mini-review we discuss and summarize what we have learned about African ethnic differences in susceptibility to malaria from immuno-epidemiological studies. Additionally, we suggest research topics that might be of great value for dissecting the mechanisms of protection by providing new insights into molecular interactions between the parasite and the host.
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, FMOS-FAPH, ICER Mali-NIAID, University of Sciences, Technique and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali. Electronic address: charama@icermali.org.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arama
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, FMOS-FAPH, ICER Mali-NIAID, University of Sciences, Technique and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Bakary
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maiga
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, FMOS-FAPH, ICER Mali-NIAID, University of Sciences, Technique and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Amagana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dolo
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, FMOS-FAPH, ICER Mali-NIAID, University of Sciences, Technique and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Bourèma
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kouriba
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, FMOS-FAPH, ICER Mali-NIAID, University of Sciences, Technique and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Boubacar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Traoré
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Crompton
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Susan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Pierce
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Troye-Blomberg
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
authors.forename: Louis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, FMOS-FAPH, ICER Mali-NIAID, University of Sciences, Technique and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali. Electronic address: okd@icermali.org.
authors.forename: Ogobara K
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Doumbo
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western / Q000453:epidemiology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000208:ethnology*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000472:pathogenicity*
keywords: Ethnic; Fulani; Immunity; Malaria; Susceptibility; Sympatric