Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children at a tertiary teaching hospital: ABO blood group is a risk factor

Abstract

BackgroundABO blood group antigens are formed by terminal glycosylation of glycoproteins and glycolipid chains present on cell surfaces. Glycosylation modulates all kinds of cell-to-cell interactions and this may be relevant in malaria pathophysiology, in which adhesion has been increasingly implicated in disease severity. This study was done to determine the association between ABO phenotypes and the severity of P. falciparum malaria in children.MethodsOne hundred and twenty one children were assessed at the Department of Child Health, KBTH from May to August 2008. ABO blood groups were determined by agglutination. The haemoglobin measurement was done with the haematology analyzer, Sysmex KX-21N. Malaria parasites were enumerated and the presence of malaria pigment noted. Identification of P. falciparum was done. Statistical tests used were odds ratio and chi square at a significance level of p<0.05.Results24.3% of the 121 children had severe falciparum malaria, and their mean haemoglobin was 4.49 g/dl (SD ±1.69). No significant association was found between the ABO phenotypes and malaria infection (p>0.05). Blood group A was associated with more severe malaria as compared to the blood group O individuals (Odds ratio=0.79, p>0.05); blood group AB (Odds ratio=0.14, p>0.05) and also there was a significant difference in severity of malaria between blood group O and blood group B (Odds ratio=1.28, p>0.05).ConclusionNon-O blood group children are more prone to severe malaria caused by P. falciparum malaria than the group O, despite the lack of significant association between ABO blood groups and falciparum malaria.

Prevalence and association of malaria with ABO blood group and hemoglobin levels in individuals visiting Mekaneeyesus Primary Hospital, Estie District, northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

“…The current study found about 3.7 times increased risk of Plasmodium infection in individuals with blood type 'A' (p= 0.030). This finding is comparable with the result of a study by Kuadzi et al [16], who recorded nearly three times odds of the disease in individuals with blood group 'A'. The result of the present study is also in line with several studies conducted in Ethiopia [59], India [60], Ghana [61], and Sudan [49], all revealed that individuals with blood group O were being less prone to severe malaria as compared to individuals with other blood groups.…”

“…ABO blood group antigens are formed by terminal glycosylation of glycoprotein and glycolipid chains present on cell surfaces. Glycosylation modulates all kinds of cell-to-cell interactions and this may be relevant in malaria pathophysiology, in which adhesion has been increasingly implicated in disease severity [16]. The adherence of parasitized RBCs to other cells is central to the pathophysiology of severe malaria syndromes including cerebral malaria, respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, and death.…”

Influence of blood group, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and Haemoglobin genotype on Falciparum malaria in children in Vihiga highland of Western Kenya

“…It has been shown that blood group O protects against malaria through reduced resetting [35] and by inducing high levels of anti-malarial IgG antibodies which directly inhibit parasite invasion or growth in erythrocytes, or indirectly by a mechanism involving cooperation between parasite-opsonising antibody and monocyte [36,37]. Certain studies have reported absence of association between the ABO blood group system and P. falciparum malaria infection among children in Nigeria [8]. Other previous in vitro erythrocyte preference assays demonstrated that P. falciparum parasites prefer type O over type A erythrocytes [9].…”

“…On the other hand, it has been reported that rosettes form better depending on the blood cell types, with the blood cell type A and B having higher chances of forming rosettes [5,6]. Some studies have reported the absent of significant association between ABO blood group and malaria [8] while others have reported high frequency of malaria episodes in blood group A, AB, and B compared with other blood group individuals [9].…”

ABO Blood Group Antigen Decorated Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Exhibit Distinct Interactions with Plasmodium falciparum Infected Red Blood Cells

“…Over the past few years, extensive studies involving clinical isolates conducted in different parts of the world have correlated the severity of malaria seen in different countries with the ABO blood group of the patient. More specifically, the invasion of the parasite differs between patients with different blood groups (ABO), with blood group A individuals having a greater probability of developing the severe form of the disease. − On the erythrocyte surface, the A and B antigens are terminal trisaccharides A, GalNAcα(1→3)­[(Fucα1→2)]­Galβ1-, and B, Galα(1→3)­[(Fucα1→2)]­Galβ1-, respectively, which are attached to glycoproteins and glycolipids. Blood group O individuals lack the glycosyltransferases necessary to produce the A or B antigens, and they carry the H antigen, namely, the disaccharide (Fucα1→2)­Galβ1 .…”