Malaria blood stage infection suppresses liver stage infection via IFNγ but not hepcidin

Abstract

Abstract Malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites develop into liver stages and blood stages in their mammalian hosts. The way these stages interact with each other can influence the outcome of infection and impact the epidemiology of malaria. We observed that blood stage infection severely suppresses the intra-hepatocytic development of liver stages. This suppression is not mediated by the iron-regulating hormone hepcidin, but instead by IFNγ. Our study provides critical new insights into the interactions between two developmental phases of the malaria parasite within the host and sheds light on the issues with live-attenuated malaria vaccine efficacy that have been observed in areas of high malaria transmission.