title: Immune response of gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum in exogenous cases in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt.
abstract: Following chloroquine treatment gametocytes numbers fell with a constant rate of loss over a period from 15-21 days. The gametocytes had a half-life of 2-4 days. The sex ratio was constant 4 female: 1 male. Antibodies to the gametocytes were detected in some patients. It was concluded that the gametocytes of P. falciparum are long-lived and can stimulate antibody production but the immune response appears to play no part in their elimination, which probably takes place in the spleen as a part of the normal process of removing old, damaged and malformed red cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Youssef
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: el-Einine
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002648:Child; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan