On the pathogenesis of Plasmodium vivax malaria: Perspectives from the Brazilian field

Life-threatening Plasmodium vivax malaria cases, while uncommon, have been reported since the early 20th century. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of these severe vivax malaria cases is still poorly understood. In Brazil, the proportion of vivax malaria cases has been steadily increasing, as have the number of cases presenting serious clinical complications. The most frequent syndromes associated with severe vivax malaria in Brazil are severe anaemia and acute respiratory distress. Additionally, P. vivax infection may also result in complications associated with pregnancy. Here, we review the latest findings on severe vivax malaria in Brazil. We also discuss how the development of targeted field research infrastructure in Brazil is providing clinical and ex vivo experimental data that benefits local and international efforts to understand the pathogenesis of P. vivax. (C) 2012 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP, Brazil)

Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq, Brazil)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Brazil

Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia em Vacinas (CNPqFAPEMIG, Brazil)

Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia em Vacinas (CNPq-FAPEMIG, Brazil)

Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia em Doencas Negligenciadas (CNPq, Brazil)

Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia em Doencas Negligenciadas (CNPq, Brazil)

FAPESP

FAPESP

CNPq

CNPq

Singapore Immunology Network and the Horizontal programme on Infectious Diseases, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore

Singapore Immunology Network and the Horizontal programme on Infectious Diseases, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore