AUTHOR=Kalungi Allan , Kinyanda Eugene , Akena Dickens Howard , Kaleebu Pontiano , Bisangwa Innocent M. 

TITLE=Less Severe Cases of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Could Co-infection or a Recent History of Plasmodium falciparum Infection Be Protective?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.565625

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2021.565625

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=The sub-Saharan African region has generally experienced less severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In addition to other potential explanations for less severe cases of COVID-19 such as the population socio-demographics, we hypothesize in this mini review that individuals with a recent history of malaria infection may be protected against infection or severe form of COVID-19. Given that both SARS-CoV-2 and Plasmodium falciparum merozoites bind to the cluster of differentiation CD147 (CD147), we hypothesize that the immunological memory against Plasmodium falciparum merozoites primes SARS-CoV-2 infected cells for early phagocytosis, hence protecting individuals with a recent Plasmodium falciparum infection against COVID-19 infection or severity.. This mini review therefore discuss the potential biological link between Plasmodium falciparum infection and COVID-19 infection or severity and further highlight the importance of CD147 immunoglobulin as an entry point for both SARS-CoV-2 and Plasmodium falciparum into host cells.