Project Title: Impact of Human pegivirus on natural immunity to Plasmodium falciparum infection
Project Description: Plasmodium falciparum infections cause most severe form of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among children under the age of five, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals like persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infections. The fact that Plasmodium spp share large geographical overlap with chronic often-asymptomatic infections deserves more attention. It is still not well established how these infections modulate the malaria pathogenesis and immunity. We recently showed that Human pegivirus -1 (HPgV-1), a positive sense... Plasmodium falciparum infections cause most severe form of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among children under the age of five, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals like persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infections. The fact that Plasmodium spp share large geographical overlap with chronic often-asymptomatic infections deserves more attention. It is still not well established how these infections modulate the malaria pathogenesis and immunity. We recently showed that Human pegivirus -1 (HPgV-1), a positive sense RNA virus with tropism for immune cells potentially offers some degree of protection amongst healthy african individuals that were vaccinated and autologous challenged with fully infectious sporozoites. In this proposed study, we aim to understand further the role of this virus in malaria pathogenesis by investigating its impact on natural Plasmodium falciparum infections, including different malaria outcomes and generated immune responses.
Principal Investigator : Catherine Mkindi
Department Name :
Time frame: (2024-09-30) - (2026-09-29)
The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) (Normal)
External Collaborating Partners
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