Peripheral blood dendritic cells in children with acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria

The importance of dendritic cells (DCs) for the initiation and regulation o f immune responses not only to foreign organisms but also to the self has r aised considerable interest in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of these cells in various human diseases. Plasmodium falciparum malaria is ch aracterized by the poor induction of long-lasting protective immune respons es. This study, therefore, investigated the percentage of peripheral blood DCs as lineage marker-negative and HLA-DR+ or CD83(+) cells in healthy chil dren and in children suffering from acute malaria in Kilifi, Kenya. Compara ble percentages of CD83(+) DCs were found in peripheral blood of healthy ch ildren and children with malaria. However, the percentage of HLA-DR+ periph eral blood DCs was significantly reduced in children with malaria. The resu lts suggest that a proportion of peripheral blood DCs may be functionally i mpaired due to the low expression of HLA-DR on their surface. (C) 2001 by T he American Society of Hematology.