Total parasite biomass but not peripheral parasitaemia is associated with endothelial and haematological perturbations in Plasmodium vivax patients

Plasmodium vivax is the major cause of human malaria in the Americas. How P. vivax infection can lead to poor clinical outcomes, despite low peripheral parasitaemia, remains a matter of intense debate. Estimation of total P. vivax biomass based on circulating markers indicates existence of a predominant parasite population outside of circulation. In this study, we investigate associations between both peripheral and total parasite biomass and host response in vivax malaria. We analysed parasite and host signatures in a cohort of uncomplicated vivax malaria patients from Manaus, Brazil, combining clinical and parasite parameters, multiplexed analysis of host responses, and ex vivo assays. Patterns of clinical features, parasite burden, and host signatures measured in plasma across the patient cohort were highly heterogenous. Further data deconvolution revealed two patient clusters, here termed Vivax(low) and Vivax(high). These patient subgroups were defined based on differences in total parasite biomass but not peripheral parasitaemia. Overall Vivax(low) patients clustered with healthy donors and Vivax(high) patients showed more profound alterations in haematological parameters, endothelial cell (EC) activation, and glycocalyx breakdown and levels of cytokines regulating different haematopoiesis pathways compared to Vivax(low). Vivax(high) patients presented more severe thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia, along with enrichment of neutrophils in the peripheral blood and increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLCR). When patients' signatures were combined, high association of total parasite biomass with a subset of markers of EC activation, thrombocytopenia, and lymphopenia severity was observed. Finally, machine learning models defined a combination of host parameters measured in the circulation that could predict the extent of parasite infection outside of circulation. Altogether, our data show that total parasite biomass is a better predictor of perturbations in host homeostasis in P. vivax patients than peripheral parasitaemia. This supports the emerging paradigm of a P. vivax tissue reservoir, particularly in the haematopoietic niche of bone marrow and spleen.

Automated summary

In patients with vivax malaria, there is a correlation between peripheral and total parasite biomass and host response, with high heterogeneity in clinical features, parasite burden, and host signatures. Patients can be categorized into Vivax(low) and Vivax(high) clusters based on differences in total parasite biomass, rather than peripheral parasitaemia, showing distinct alterations in various parameters related to host homeostasis.