Loading...
Cerebral malaria is usually caused by Plasmodium falciparum infection and is often fatal. Autopsy studies show that infected erythrocytes adhere to and occlude cerebral vessels and that fibrin deposition occurs. To clarify the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria, investigators analyzed recent studies and noted the following:
The vascular bed of every organ (brain, lung, bone marrow, placenta, etc.) has a distinctive endothelial lining, and the endothelial cells of that organ expose a unique constellation of surface receptors.
Erythrocytes infected by malarial parasites expose specific membrane proteins that mediate binding to the endothelial receptors in the various vascular beds.
Infected erythrocytes bind to the endothelial protein C receptor (…