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1 January 2005

Volume 191, Number 1
The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2005;191:117–121
© 2004 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.
0022-1899/2005/19101-0018$15.00
DOI: 10.1086/426512
MAJOR ARTICLE

Antibodies to Voltage‐Gated Calcium Channels in Children with Falciparum Malaria

Bethan Lang,1

Christopher I. Newbold,2

Graham Williams,1

Norbert Peshu,4

Kevin Marsh,4 and

Charles R. J. C. Newton3,4

1Neurosciences and 2Molecular Parasitology Groups, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, and 3Neurosciences Department, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; 4Centre for Geographic Medicine–Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya

Falciparum malaria can affect the central nervous system (CNS), causing neurological dysfunction and sequelae. The pathophysiology of these complications is currently very poorly understood. Production of autoantibodies has frequently been reported as a consequence of infection with Plasmodium falciparum. However, at present, the presence of antibodies to components of the CNS during malaria infection has not been reported. We have sought to identify such antibodies, define their specificity, and determine whether they are involved in the development of neurological complications of falciparum malaria. Here, we show that, in a cohort of Kenyan children, levels of antibodies to the voltage‐gated calcium channels, but not to other ion channels, increased with the severity of malaria infection.

Received 5 May 2004; accepted 28 July 2004; electronically published 1 December 2004.

Reprints or correspondence: Dr. B. Lang, Neurosciences Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK ().

Cited by

Edgard Brice Ngoungou, Pierre-Marie Preux. (2008) Cerebral malaria and epilepsy. Epilepsia 49, 19-24
Online publication date: 1-Sep-2008.
CrossRef
Charles Newton. (2005) Interaction between Plasmodium falciparum and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 on the central nervous system of African children. Journal of NeuroVirology 11:0, 45-51
Online publication date: 1-Dec-2005.
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Julie Carter, Brian Neville, Charles Newton. (2005) Response: Pathogenesis of Epilepsy after Exposure to Severe Falciparum Malaria. Epilepsia 46:4, 601-602
Online publication date: 1-May-2005.
CrossRef

  • Presented in part: 17th World Congress of Neurology, London, United Kingdom, 17–22 June 2001.

    Financial support: Sir Henry Wellcome Commemorative Award for Innovative Research (no. 062944/Z/00). C.R.J.C.N. holds a Wellcome Trust Career Post in Clinical Tropical Medicine (no. 050533); C.I.N. is supported by a Wellcome Trust Programme grant.

    This article is published with the permission of the Director of Kenya Medical Research Institute.

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