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. 1991 Oct 15;88(20):9171–9174. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.20.9171

Antigenic variation in Plasmodium falciparum.

B A Biggs 1, L Goozé 1, K Wycherley 1, W Wollish 1, B Southwell 1, J H Leech 1, G V Brown 1
PMCID: PMC52674  PMID: 1924380

Abstract

Antigenic variation of infectious organisms is a major factor in evasion of the host immune response. However, there has been no definitive demonstration of this phenomenon in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. In this study, cloned parasites were examined serologically and biochemically for the expression of erythrocyte surface antigens. A cloned line of P. falciparum gave rise to progeny that expressed antigenically distinct forms of an erythrocyte surface antigen but were otherwise identical. This demonstrates that antigenic differences on the surface of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes can arise by antigenic variation of clonal parasite populations. The antigenic differences were shown to result from antigenic variation of the parasite-encoded protein, the P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1.

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Selected References

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

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