Immunogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum sexual stage antigens: implications for the design of a transmission blocking vaccine.
Immunogenicity of sexual stage antigens and boosting of transmission blocking antibodies following a natural infection are two critical factors in the design of an effective, subunit vaccine to block the transmission of malaria from man to mosquito. Immunogenicity and boosting are both T cell-dependent. Antigens, such as the 230-kDa, the 48/45-kDa, and the 40/10-kDa, expressed early in the extracellular forms of the sexual stage of Plasmodium falciparum, have limited immunogenicity in humans and in mice. In contrast, Pfs25, expressed predominantly in zygotes and ookinetes, has widespread immunogenicity in mice. Pfs25 expressed by a recombinant vaccinia virus (vSIDK) is also widely immunogenic in mice, and induces transmission blocking antibodies following multiple inoculations with vSIDK. The implications of these immunogenicity data are discussed relative to the design of an effective transmission blocking vaccine.
Kaslow
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DC
Malaria Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892.
D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000276:immunology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000939:Epitopes; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C064783:sexual stage specific protein, Plasmodium