Journal Article

The Impact of Malaria-Induced Neutrophil Subset Shift and a Link to Burkitt Lymphoma

Chepsiror, Daniel, Moormann, Ann, Forconi, Catherine S, Maina, Titus K, Kinyua, Ann W, Oduor, Cliff I, Akinyi, Sharon, Ayieko, Cyrus, Njuguna, Festus M, Tonui, Ronald K, Agwati, Eddy, Keitany, Kibet K

2025

Overview

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma that remains a leading cause of childhood cancer mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the epidemiological link between malaria and BL has been established, our understanding of the underlying immunological mechanisms conducive to tumorigenesis is incomplete. To address a noted gap in our knowledge of the immune landscape, we profiled neutrophil subsets from children with different exposure histories to -malaria and children diagnosed with BL from Western Kenya, along with healthy malaria-naive Kenyan adults. Using multiparameter flow cytometry, we characterized neutrophils by expression of CD15, CD16, CD10, CD11b, CD182, CD184, and CD62L and found that malaria-exposed children exhibited increased frequencies of aged neutrophil subsets, accompanied by a reduction in the mature subset frequencies compared to malaria-naive children. Malaria-exposed children also had neutrophil profiles that closely resembled those seen in the adults. Notably, a positive correlation (rs was observed in immature neutrophils between malaria-exposed healthy and BL children, indicating a similar expansion pattern of this subset in both groups. This finding suggests a malaria-driven expansion of the immature subset, potentially promoting a permissive environment for BL. Our data suggests that the observed shift in neutrophil profiles could contribute to the malaria-induced immunopathology associated with BL.

• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory,Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Preprints
• Subject: Immunology