High titers of IgG antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum serine repeat antigen 5 (SERA5) are associated with protection against severe malaria in Ugandan children.
Plasmodium falciparum serine repeat antigen (SERA5) is a promising asexual blood stage malaria candidate vaccine. However, there is a paucity of information about natural immune responses to SERA5 in children from malaria-endemic regions. We undertook a hospital-based case-control study of severe malaria in Apac District, Northern Uganda, in children 6-59 months of age. The commonest symptoms observed in children with severe malaria (SM) were respiratory distress (53.4%) and prostration (40.4%) followed by circulatory collapse (7.4%), severe anemia (Hb < 5 g/dL, 7.0%), and seizures (2.6%). None of the SM children had impaired consciousness, coma, or cerebral malaria. We measured serum IgG antibodies using a recombinant construct of SERA5 (SE36) in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. High titers of IgG anti-SE36 were associated with protection against severe malaria in children under 5 years old.
Okech
Brenda
B
Med Biotech Laboratories, Kampala, Uganda; Kan-on-ji Institute, The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University, Japan. tgegwang@mblab.org
Mujuzi
Godfrey
G
Ogwal
Alex
A
Shirai
Hiroki
H
Horii
Toshihiro
T
Egwang
Thomas G
TG
D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; C480167:serine repeat antigen 5, Plasmodium falciparum