Article of Significant Interest Selected from This Issue by the Editors

Abstract

Mechanisms of Increased Susceptibility to Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Bacteremia in the Context of Malaria in African Children Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium bacteremia is known to be associated with malaria in African children. To understand the immunological basis of this association, Nyirenda et al. (e00057-17) investigated bactericidal immunity to S. Typhimurium in children with acute and convalescent uncomplicated malaria and in controls. They found that Plasmodium falciparum infection reduced serum bactericidal activity to S. Typhimurium and was associated with reduced complement C3, irrespective of preexisting specific-IgG antibody titers. P. falciparum infection also reduced whole-blood bactericidal activity to S. Typhimurium and was associated with reduction of neutrophil respiratory burst. These findings provide new insights into the increase in susceptibility to S. Typhimurium bacteremia in children from settings of malaria endemicity.