Variation of nitric oxide levels in imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria episodes

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) has been recognized during the past two decades as one of the most versatile players in the immune system. Even though the molecular mechanisms responsible by the naturally acquired
immunity against malaria are still to be clarified, the production of NO seems to play an important role as a marker for the severity of the disease. In this study we assess the level of nitric oxide in the serum
of subjects exposed to malarial settings but who have not become clinically infected by plasmodia parasites. We conclude that NO is in fact a marker of clinical infections but cannot be used as an indicator of the disease’s severity.