Platelets and infections in the resource-limited countries with a focus on malaria and viral haemorrhagic fevers.

Infections continue to cause a high incidence of mortality and morbidity in resource-poor nations. Although antimicrobial therapy has aided mostly in dealing with the pathogenic micro-organisms themselves, the collateral damage caused by the infections continue to cause many deaths. Intensive care support and manipulation of the hosts' abnormal response to the infection have helped to improve mortality in well-resourced countries. But, in those areas with limited resources, this is not yet the case and simpler methods of diagnosis and interventions are required. Thrombocytopenia is one of the most common manifestations in all these infections and may be used as an easily available prognostic indicator and marker for the severity of the infections. In this review, the relevance of platelets in infections in general, and specifically to tropical infections, malaria, and viral haemorrhagic fevers in the emerging countries is discussed. Better understanding of the pathophysiology and the role of platelets in particular in such conditions is likely to translate into better patient care and thus reduce morbidity and mortality.