Figure 2

Associations between nutrient status and supernatant cytokine concentrations following 24 h of PBMC stimulation with Plasmodium falciparum -infected erythrocytes, by malaria infection status of the child at the time of blood collection. N: Normal concentrations; L: low concentrations (plasma concentrations of zinc and magnesium < 9.9 μmol/L and < 750 μmol/L, respectively). Data from children without and with malaria infection at the time of blood collection are indicated with open and shaded columns, respectively. Percentages indicate group differences in supernatant cytokine concentrations, expressed as percentages relative to values observed in groups with normal plasma zinc or magnesium concentrations. P-values were obtained by assessing by multivariate analysis to what extent the proportional change in cytokine concentration that is associated with nutrient status is different between children with and without malarial infection. The number of individuals with iron deficiency and malaria (table 1) was too small to meaningfully compare among groups.