Antigenicity and immune correlate assessment of seven Plasmodium falciparum antigens in a longitudinal infant cohort from northern Ghana.
Sci Rep
; 9(1): 8621, 2019 06 13.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31197225
ABSTRACT
The current global malaria control and elimination agenda requires development of additional effective disease intervention tools. Discovery and characterization of relevant parasite antigens is important for the development of new diagnostics and transmission monitoring tools and for subunit vaccine development. This study assessed the natural antibody response profile of seven novel Plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic antigens and their potential association with protection against clinical malaria. Antigen-specific antibody levels in plasma collected at six time points from a longitudinal cohort of one-to-five year old children resident in a seasonal malaria transmission area of northern Ghana were assessed by ELISA. Antibody levels were compared between parasite-positive and parasite-negative individuals and the association of antibody levels with malaria risk assessed using a regression model. Plasma antibody levels against five of the seven antigens were significantly higher in parasite-positive children compared to parasite-negative children, especially during low transmission periods. None of the antigen-specific antibodies showed an association with protection against clinical malaria. The study identified five of the seven antigens as markers of exposure to malaria, and these will have relevance for the development of disease diagnostic and monitoring tools. The vaccine potential of these antigens requires further assessment.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Plasmodium falciparum
/
Malaria, Falciparum
/
Antigens, Protozoan
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Child, preschool
/
Humans
/
Infant
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
En
Journal:
Sci Rep
Year:
2019
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ghana