title: Protective immunity to pre-erythrocytic stage malaria.
abstract: The development of a vaccine against malaria is a major research priority given the burden of disease, death and economic loss inflicted upon the tropical world by this parasite. Despite decades of effort, however, a vaccine remains elusive. The best candidate is a subunit vaccine termed RTS,S but this provides only partial protection against clinical disease. This review examines what is known about protective immunity against pre-erythrocytic stage malaria by considering the humoral and T cell-mediated immune responses that are induced by attenuated sporozoites and by the RTS,S vaccine. On the basis of these observations a set of research priorities are defined that are crucial for the development of a vaccine capable of inducing long-lasting and high-grade protection against malaria.
authors: US Military Malaria Vaccine Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Division of Malaria Vaccine Development, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. robert.schwenk@amedd.army.mil
authors: Robert J
authors: RJ
authors: Schwenk
authors: Thomas L
authors: TL
authors: Richie
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D034101:Sporozoites / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017780:Malaria Vaccines