Cerebral malaria (CM) is the most lethal complication of Plasmodium infection and may be associated with multiple organ failure. We have investigated liver microstructure and metabolism in a widely-used murine model of CM induced with Plasmodium Berghei ANKA using in vivo anatomical MRI, relaxometry and localized proton spectroscopy at 11.75T. Our results show an increase in liver T2 value with CM progression. This increase is apparently linked to a reduction in tissue water content and to lipid remodeling. These alterations could be related to the clinical degradation occurring at the severe stage of the disease as well as to a direct effect of the parasite on the liver.
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