By looking into the retina of patients with cerebral malaria, scientists have gained new insight into why malaria infection in the brain is so deadly. A study funded by the Wellcome Trust and Fight for Sight, published on January 15 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases has shown that the build up of infected blood cells in the narrow blood vessels of the brain leads to a potentially lethal lack of oxygen to the brain.
The research conducted by Dr Nick Beare of the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, together with colleagues at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Malawi examined the retinas of 34 children admitted to the hospital with cerebral malaria. Intravenously injecting a special dye into the arms of the children, the researchers photographed its passage through the blood vessels of the retina. Three-quarters had whitening to areas of the retina where blood did not appear to reach, implying that the parasites were disrupting the supply of oxygen and nutrients.
'We have previously used the retina to accurately diagnose severe malaria, but now this window into the brain has opened up our knowledge of what makes cerebral malaria so deadly,' said Beare. 'This is the first study to clearly show impaired blood flow to the eyes of patients with cerebral malaria. It has provided strong evidence to support what, until now, had merely been hypothesised.
