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Infection and Immunity, September 1998, p. 4080-4086, Vol. 66, No. 9
Division of Parasitology, National Institute
for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
Received 23 March 1998/Returned for modification 14 May
1998/Accepted 8 June 1998
CBA/Ca mice infected with 5 × 104
Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi AS-parasitized erythrocytes
experience acute but self-limiting infections of relatively short
duration. Parasitemia peaks (~40% infected erythrocytes) on day 10 or 11 and is then partially resolved over the ensuing 5 to 6 days, a
period referred to as crisis. How humoral and cellular immune
mechanisms contribute to parasite killing and/or clearance during
crisis is controversial. Humoral immunity might be
parasite variant, line, or species specific, while cellular immune
responses would be relatively less specific. For P. c.
chabaudi AS, parasite clearance is largely species and line specific during this time, which suggests a primary role for antibody activity. Accordingly, acute-phase plasma (APP; taken from
P. c. chabaudi AS-infected mice at day 11 or 12 postinfection) was examined for the presence of parasite-specific
antibody activity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibody
binding to the surface of intact, live parasitized erythrocytes,
particularly those containing mature (trophozoite and schizont)
parasites, was demonstrated by immunofluorescence in APP and the
immunoglobulin G (IgG)-containing fraction thereof. Unfractionated APP
(from P. c. chabaudi AS-infected mice), as well as its
IgG fraction, specifically mediated the opsonization and
internalization of P. c. chabaudi AS-parasitized
erythrocytes by macrophages in vitro. APP from another parasite
line (P. c. chabaudi CB) did not mediate the same
effect against P. c. chabaudi AS-parasitized
erythrocytes. These results, which may represent one mechanism of
parasite removal during crisis, are discussed in relation to the
parasite variant, line, and species specificity of parasite clearance
during this time.
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Acute Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi Malaria Infection
Induces Antibodies Which Bind to the Surfaces of Parasitized
Erythrocytes and Promote Their Phagocytosis by Macrophages In
Vitro
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of
Parasitology, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill,
London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom. Phone: (44) 181 959 3666, ext. 2129. Fax: (44) 181 913 8593. E-mail:
wjarra{at}nimr.mrc.ac.uk.
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