Abstract
Objectives: Naturally acquired immunity to malaria results from repeated infection with Plasmodium parasites. However, identifying immune correlates of immunity against febrile malaria is quite challenging. Here we investigated antigenic targets of malaria protective antibodies in populations residing a malaria transmission hotspot in southern Ghana. Method: We enrolled 973 children, aged 6 months to 12 years, in southern Ghana out of which 211 were infected at least once with Plasmodium falciparum in a 50-week longitudinal cohort study. Total IgG levels in baseline plasma samples were determined using indirect ELISA. Results: We found a significant association between higher IgG levels to MSP3 (adjusted P-value [aP] = 0.0002), GLURP-R2 (aP = 0.0026), MSP DBL2 (aP = 0.004) and N-MSP3 (aP = 0.002), and protection from febrile malaria. A negative association between higher antibody levels to MSP3, GMZ2, GLURP-R2 and MSPDBL2 and parasite density was also observed. Wider antibody breadth was associated with protection against febrile malaria and single, compared to multiple malaria episodes. Conclusions: Specific antibody levels and breadth of responses against multiple P. falciparum surface antigens protect against febrile malaria, parasitaemia and multiple malaria episodes. This data supports the development of multivalent vaccines targeting P. falciparum surface antigens in high malaria endemic settings.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Artikelnummer | 107804 |
| Tidsskrift | International Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| Vol/bind | 153 |
| Antal sider | 7 |
| ISSN | 1201-9712 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 2025 |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (DFC file no.14-P01-GHA) and administered by Danida Fellowship Centre. The study sponsors had no involvement in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; and in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The authors would like to thank the participants, parents/guardians for participating in the study. We also acknowledge the technical assistance of Miss Sophia Eyia-Ampah of the Immunology Department, NMIMR and the Senior Physician Assistant in charge, and the laboratory staff of Danfa Health Centre, respectively, in sampling. We also acknowledge the Functional Immunogenetics field assistants for their support during sampling. Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Ghana Health Service Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health, Ghana (GHS-ERC-11/01/15), and the Institutional Review Board of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana, Accra (NMIMR-IRB 022/14-15). Consent was given by the parents and guardians of children before they were enrolled in the study. The datasets analysed in this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Conceived and designed the experiments: EKB, DD, MT, KAK and BA. Performed the experiments: EKB, QAI, EOY and SK. Analysed the data: EKB, KAK, DD and BA. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SKS and MT. Wrote the manuscript: EKB, KAK, FKNA, BA and MT. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s)