Investigating the influence of epstein-barr virus (EBV) CO-infection on malaria autoimmune pathology - malaria is one of the major global infectious diseases, with 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths…

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded $190,021 to the Research Foundation of The City University of New York on August 6, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to investigate the influence of Epstein-Barr virus co-infection on malaria-associated autoimmune pathology.

The recipient will conduct serological testing on 156 de-identified plasma samples from a previously characterized cohort of Plasmodium vivax malaria patients (uninfected, uncomplicated, and complicated cases) to assess EBV infection status. The research will measure 246 plasma markers—including autoantibodies and cytokines—using commercial autoantibody microarray assays in all 156 samples. The recipient will also establish and characterize a novel human in vitro model of EBV-malaria co-infection to study the effect of co-infection on autoantibody production, autoimmune B-cells, cytokine expression, and mechanistic roles of shared pathogen-induced host immune molecules.

Performance occurs in Brooklyn Heights, New York, with a period of performance ending July 31, 2030. The work addresses malaria anemia, a major complication associated with mortality in malaria patients, by examining whether EBV co-infection enhances autoimmunity in malaria cases.

Investigating the influence of epstein-barr virus (EBV) CO-infection on malaria autoimmune pathology - malaria is one of the major global infectious diseases, with 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths in 2023. Malaria exhibits a spectrum of clinical severities leading to the diagnosis of uncomplicated or complicated malaria, but the factors leading to these different outcomes remain incompletely understood. Malaria anemia is one of the major complications associated with mortality during malaria. My previous research work characterized the role of autoimmunity in promoting malaria anemia in a mouse model and patients, but the factors leading to this phenomenon are poorly studied. Most human infections are considered polymicrobial in origin, involving at least two CO-infecting pathogens. Epstein-barr virus (EBV) is present in 90% of the adult population, is largely known to CO-exist as a chronic dormant infection with malaria, and is associated with autoimmunity. We hypothesize that CO-infection of EBV during malaria results in enhanced autoimmunity, which could explain why malaria patients develop autoimmune complications such as anemia. We propose using 156 DE-identified plasma samples from our previously characterized cohort of P. Vivax malaria patients, including uninfected, uncomplicated, and complicated malaria patients. For the first aim, we will utilize serological antibody diagnostic kits to assess the EBV infection status in all 156 samples. For the second aim, we will determine a total of 246 different plasma markers in all 156 samples, including autoantibodies and cytokines, and utilize a commercial autoantibody microarray assay. For the third aim, we propose to establish a novel human in vitro model of EBV- malaria CO-infection and study the effect of CO-infection on autoantibody production, autoimmune B-cells, cytokines, and assess the role of shared pathogen-induced host immune molecules to provide mechanistic insights. Our robust approach combines the evaluation of EBV serostatus with the assessment of 246 different plasma markers in samples from our well-characterized cohort of uninfected, uncomplicated, and complicated P. Vivax malaria patients, which will allow US to understand the influence of EBV CO-infection on malaria pathogenesis and determine the clinical relevance of our findings. These findings will be supported and directly linked to EBV-malaria coinfection in a novel in vitro model. We believe the results of these studies will augment our knowledge about the influence of relevant CO-infections in human malaria pathology. The findings could be extended to other relevant scenarios, such as basic human immune responses to different global infections and autoimmune disorders. Moreover, this proposal will enrich the infrastructure of research and education at city tech, introducing cutting-edge biomedical research experiences to undergraduate students. This will provide students a hands-on opportunity to execute relevant biomedical research by performing laboratory techniques such as serologies, develop scientific research skills such as data analysis, and be part of a collaborative research environment that will set them up for a successful career.