Levels of soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) in serum mere elevated in patients wit
h Plasmodium falciparum malaria and showed a significant decline during dis
ease course. sFasL levels that were elevated before antimalarial treatment
began correlated significantly with depressed total lymphocyte and T-cell c
ounts. These data suggest that Fas-induced apoptosis might play a role in m
alaria-associated lymphopenia.