Novel DNA-sensing pathway in immune response to malaria
Thursday, August 4, 2011 - 12:30
in Health & Medicine
Until very recently, it was unclear why infection with malaria causes fever and, under severe circumstances, an infectious death. Although the parasite has an abundance of potentially toxic molecules, no one knew which ones were responsible for the inflammatory syndrome associated with disease. Now, a new study identifies a novel DNA-sensing mechanism that plays a role in the innate immune response to the parasite that causes malaria. The findings, published online August 4th by Cell Press in the journal Immunity, provide new insight into how the immune system detects malaria and may have broad implications for treatment of multiple infectious diseases.