The role of mitogenic factors in the pathogenesis of certain features of malarial infection.

The clinical and pathological features of malaria have been well recognized for a long time. Macroglobulinaemia accompanies malarial infections and these patients have increased susceptibility to secondary infection. They may also have splenic enlargement. However, how these changes are brought about is still not fully explained. For over a decade many researchers have looked into the possibility of a parasite-derived mitogen being partly responsible for some of these features. This paper appraises, in the light of evidence so far advanced, the role of mitogenic factors in the pathogenesis of hypergammaglobulinaemia, immunosuppression and splenomegaly associated with malarial infection. The nature of the stimulatory material in parasite extracts is also discussed.