Were, T.Hittner, James B.Ouma, C.Otieno, Richard O.Orago, A. S.Ong'echa, J. M.Vulule, J. M.Keller, C. C.Perkins, D. J.2013-11-132013-11-132006-10Haematologica. 2006 Oct;91(10):1396-9.http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/7619Severe malarial anemia (MA) is the primary manifestation of severe malaria among children in areas of holoendemic Plasmodium falciparum transmission. Although overproduction of inflammatory-derived cytokines are implicated in the immunopathogenesis of severe MA, chemokines such as regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES, CCL5) are largely unexplored in childhood malaria. We found that RANTES is decreased during severe MA (p<0.01), and associated with suppression of erythropoiesis (p<0.05) and malaria-induced thrombocytopenia (p<0.05). These findings suggest that thrombocytopenia may be a source of reduced RANTES which may contribute, at least in part, to suppression of erythropoiesis in children with malarial anemia.enArticle