Análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo de la respuesta inmune humoral A Plasmodium falciparum en personas protegidas y no protegidas

Abstract

We searched for differences in the pattern of recognition of Plasmodium falcipararum proteins in sera from patients with diverse immunity degrees. We evaluated both by immunoprecipitation and by immnoblotting 50 sera from an endemic area, obtained from persons showing some degree of protection; 50 sera from infected individuals and 30 sera from persons who were never exposed to malaria. A higher level of antibodies and a more complex pattern of recognitions was found with sera from un-protected patients. Only one antibody, which recognized a 99 kDa protein and which was present in 40% of the protected persons was related wit protection (although only mildly). Our results suggest that the humoral immune response against malaria is an indicative of a recent infection rather than of a protective immune state.