Sydney, Sept. 8 -- An Australia-led study has found that "silent" malaria can disrupt immune function, challenging long-standing beliefs about asymptomatic malaria infections.
The study focused on Plasmodium vivax, the most widespread malaria parasite and a major obstacle to global elimination efforts, according to a statement released Monday by Australia's Monash University.
While people in malaria-endemic regions often carry the parasite without showing symptoms, these "silent" infections were traditionally seen as beneficial, thought to help maintain immunity and prevent future illness, the statement said.
However, the new findings, detailed in the journal Molecular Systems Biology published by the European Molecular Biology Organizat...