Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1987 Feb;55(2):369–372. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.2.369-372.1987

Malaria transmission-blocking immunity induced by natural infections of Plasmodium vivax in humans.

K N Mendis, Y D Munesinghe, Y N de Silva, I Keragalla, R Carter
PMCID: PMC260336  PMID: 2879793

Abstract

Immunity to malarial infections in human populations is known to affect the development of the asexual blood stages of the parasites in the human host and to be capable of conferring significant protection against morbidity and mortality due to the disease. In this study we show that during acute infection with Plasmodium vivax malaria, one of the two main malarial pathogens of humans, most individuals also develop immunity that suppresses the infectivity of the sexual stages of the parasite to mosquitoes. The immunity is antibody mediated and is directed against the parasites in the mosquito midgut shortly after ingestion of blood by a mosquito. This immunity could be expected to have significant effects on the natural transmission of P. vivax malaria.

Full text

PDF
369

Images in this article

371Image
on p.371

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. COHEN S., McGREGOR I. A., CARRINGTON S. Gamma-globulin and acquired immunity to human malaria. Nature. 1961 Nov 25;192:733–737. doi: 10.1038/192733a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carter R., Chen D. H. Malaria transmission blocked by immunisation with gametes of the malaria parasite. Nature. 1976 Sep 2;263(5572):57–60. doi: 10.1038/263057a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carter R., Gwadz R. W., Green I. Plasmodium gallinaceum: Transmission-blocking immunity in chickens. II. The effect of antigamete antibodies in vitro and in vivo and their elaboration during infection. Exp Parasitol. 1979 Apr;47(2):194–208. doi: 10.1016/0014-4894(79)90073-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Graves P. M., Carter R., Burkot T. R., Rener J., Kaushal D. C., Williams J. L. Effects of transmission-blocking monoclonal antibodies on different isolates of Plasmodium falciparum. Infect Immun. 1985 Jun;48(3):611–616. doi: 10.1128/iai.48.3.611-616.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Greenwood B. M., Bradley-Moore A. M., Bryceson A. D., Palit A. Immunosuppression in children with malaria. Lancet. 1972 Jan 22;1(7743):169–172. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)90569-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gwadz R. W., Green I. Malaria immunization in Rhesus monkeys. A vaccine effective against both the sexual and asexual stages of Plasmodium knowlesi. J Exp Med. 1978 Nov 1;148(5):1311–1323. doi: 10.1084/jem.148.5.1311. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gwadz R. W. Successful immunization against the sexual stages of Plasmodium gallinaceum. Science. 1976 Sep 17;193(4258):1150–1151. doi: 10.1126/science.959832. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kaushal D. C., Carter R., Rener J., Grotendorst C. A., Miller L. H., Howard R. J. Monoclonal antibodies against surface determinants on gametes of Plasmodium gallinaceum block transmission of malaria parasites to mosquitoes. J Immunol. 1983 Nov;131(5):2557–2562. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kumar N., Carter R. Biosynthesis of the target antigens of antibodies blocking transmission of Plasmodium falciparum. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1984 Nov;13(3):333–342. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(84)90124-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mendis K. N., Targett G. A. Immunisation against gametes and asexual erythrocytic stages of a rodent malaria parasite. Nature. 1979 Feb 1;277(5695):389–391. doi: 10.1038/277389a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mendis K. N., Targett G. A. Immunization to produce a transmission-blocking immunity in Plasmodium yoelii malaria infections. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1981;75(1):158–159. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(81)90053-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Munesinghe Y. D., Mendis K. N., Carter R. Anti-gamete antibodies block transmission of human vivax malaria to mosquitoes. Parasite Immunol. 1986 May;8(3):231–238. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1986.tb01035.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Nardin E. H., Nussenzweig R. S., McGregor I. A., Bryan J. H. Antibodies to sporozoites: their frequent occurrence in individuals living in an area of hyperendemic malaria. Science. 1979 Nov 2;206(4418):597–599. doi: 10.1126/science.386511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rener J., Graves P. M., Carter R., Williams J. L., Burkot T. R. Target antigens of transmission-blocking immunity on gametes of plasmodium falciparum. J Exp Med. 1983 Sep 1;158(3):976–981. doi: 10.1084/jem.158.3.976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Vermeulen A. N., Ponnudurai T., Beckers P. J., Verhave J. P., Smits M. A., Meuwissen J. H. Sequential expression of antigens on sexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum accessible to transmission-blocking antibodies in the mosquito. J Exp Med. 1985 Nov 1;162(5):1460–1476. doi: 10.1084/jem.162.5.1460. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES