Effect of Serum Antioxidant Ascorbic Acid Concentration by Malarial Infection Man

Malaria is a vector–borne infectious disease caused by five protozoan parasite species of the Plasmodium, the most serious forms of the disease are caused by P. falciparum. Other species are P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae caused milder disease in humans that is not generally fatal. A fifth specie P. knowelsi, cause malaria in macaques but can also infect humans. It is wide spread on tropical and subtropical regions like Africa, Asia and South America. It is one of the six killer diseases in the world to-day and 500 million people are suffered annually [1]. Malaria is associated with poverty, lower hygienic conditions. People get infected by bitten only infective (by sucking blood of infected person) female anopheles mosquito, because only female anopheles mosquito transmitted malaria. In infected person, some symptoms can be observed like, anemia, fever, and finally death. Transmission can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites by using mosquito nets, insect repellants and draining of stagnant water. Work has been done on malaria vaccines with limited success and genetic manipulation of mosquitoes to make them resistant to the parasite [2]. Malarial infection causes significant destruction of erythrocytes. This leads to the release of toxic products, including oxidant compounds. These oxidants are influenced on antioxidants substances in the body. The effect of ascorbic acid level has remained scarce. The plasma concentration of the antioxidant particularly ascorbic acid was studied in varying degrees of malarial parasitaemia and acute malarial infection. Results showed that overall malarial infection reduced plasma vitamin C concentration. However, severe malarial infection significantly reduced plasma vitamin C level when compared with either mild or moderate infection, irrespective of sex and age, but effects were more marked among the infected children. Supplementation should be given and biochemical effects assessed in order to modify the chemotherapeutic regimen for the treatment of malarial infection [3].