We report here for the first time an association of ABCA1 promoter polymorphisms with susceptibility to severe malaria, especially to CM and MOD, indicating the protective effect of the mutant variant of the polymorphism.
Altogether, by pointing out the ABCA1 transporter as a major element controlling cerebral malaria susceptibility, these data provide a novel insight into its pathophysiological mechanisms and are consistent with a pathogenic role of microparticles in this neurological syndrome.