ICAM‑1 Kilifi variant is not associated with cerebral and severe malaria pathogenesis in Beninese children
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC
Abstract
Background: Cytoadhesion and sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum infected red blood cells (iRBC) in the microvasculature
of vital organs are a major cause of malaria pathology. Several studies have provided evidence on the
implication of the human host intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) as a major receptor for iRBCs binding to P.
falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) in the development of severe and cerebral malaria. The genetic
polymorphism K29M in the immunoglobulin-like domain of ICAM-1, known as ICAM-1Kilifi, has been associated with
either increased or decreased risk of developing cerebral malaria.
Methods: To provide more conclusive results, the genetic polymorphism of ICAM-1Kilifi was assessed by PCR and
sequencing in blood samples from 215 Beninese children who presented with either mild or severe malaria including
cerebral malaria.
Results and conclusions: The results showed that in this cohort of Beninese children, the ICAM-1kilifi variant is
present at the frequencies of 0.27, similar to the frequency observed in other African countries. This ICAM-1kilifi variant
was not associated with disease severity in agreement with other findings from the Gambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Gabon,
and Thailand, suggesting no evidence of a direct link between this polymorphism and the pathogenesis of severe and
cerebral malaria.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Plasmodium falciparum, Malaria, cerebral malaria, Polymorphism, ICAM-1, ICAM-1kilifi