Study of immune-pathological alterations induced during co-infection with Alpha virus and Malaria in murine model

• Grant number: 18/24470-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Duration: October 01, 2019 - September 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Principal Investigator: Carla Claser
• Grantee: Carla Claser
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Cláudio Romero Farias Marinho ; Fabio Trindade Maranhão Costa ; José Luiz Proença Módena ; LAURENT CLAUDE RENIA ; Lisa FP Ng ; Sabrina Epiphanio
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/15124-6 - Study of humoral and cellular immune response modulation induced by Mayaro and Chikungunya viruses in coinfected mice, BP.MS; 22/13236-1 - Development of experimental models in C57BL/6 for coinfection studies with Mayaro and Chikungunya viruses, BP.IC; 22/06970-0 - Identification of pathogenicity mechanism induced during co-infection with Mayaro virus and Plasmodium berghei ANKA, BP.DR; 19/21478-2 - Study of immune-pathological alterations induced during co-infection with alpha virus and malaria in murine model, BP.JP

Abstract

The recent increase on arboviruses outbreaks in Brazil, mainly chikungunya (CHIKV) and mayaro (MAYV) in regions where malaria is endemic, has risen significantly the risk of co-infection. The three diseases induce strong inflammatory response in the host, resulting in complications such as prolonged arthralgia in CHIKV and MAYV infection, cerebral malaria and malaria associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome caused by the malaria parasite. However, nothing is known about the impact co-infection has on the host response toward heterologous pathogens. This project aims to establish murine model of co-infection to study whether there is a cross-talk between the type of immune response induced by the virus and the malaria parasite, and how it will influence in the heterologous pathogens complications. The immunological and pathological indicators identified in these co-infection models allow the identification of possible disease biomarkers, as well as host factors that can be used as target for therapeutic drugs. (AU)