Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Measuring Naturally Acquired Phagocytosis-Inducing Antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum Parasites by a Flow Cytometry-Based Assay
09:57

Measuring Naturally Acquired Phagocytosis-Inducing Antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum Parasites by a Flow Cytometry-Based Assay

Published on: August 6, 2020

How is childhood development of immunity to Plasmodium falciparum enhanced by certain antimalarial interventions?

Colin J Sutherland1, Christopher J Drakeley, David Schellenberg

  • 1Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. colin.sutherland@lshtm.ac.uk

Malaria Journal
|December 7, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Malaria prevention strategies like bed nets and vaccines may induce mild Plasmodium falciparum infections that act as a natural blood-stage vaccine. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine contributes to this sustained immunity in children.

Area of Science:

  • Malariology
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Acquired immunity to Plasmodium falciparum is crucial for reducing malaria burden in African children.
  • Current malaria prevention strategies include insecticide-treated nets, anti-sporozoite vaccines, and intermittent preventive therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how current malaria prevention strategies influence the development of acquired immunity.
  • To investigate the potential of attenuated blood-stage infections as a mechanism for sustained protection.

Main Methods:

  • Review of evidence on insecticide-treated nets, anti-sporozoite vaccines, and intermittent preventive therapy.
  • Analysis of the role of Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infections in immunity development.
  • Consideration of the pharmacological properties of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine.

Main Results:

  • Insecticide-treated nets, anti-sporozoite vaccines, and intermittent preventive therapy may lead to attenuated P. falciparum blood-stage infections.
  • These attenuated infections can function as a 'blood-stage vaccine', promoting acquired immunity.
  • Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine's properties contribute to attenuated infections and sustained protection.

Conclusions:

  • Attenuated blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum infections induced by prevention strategies can confer protective immunity.
  • Intermittent preventive therapy with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plays a significant role in sustained malaria protection in high-transmission areas.
  • Understanding these mechanisms can inform future malaria control and vaccine development efforts.

More Related Videos

High Yield Purification of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites For Use in Opsonizing Antibody Assays10:38

High Yield Purification of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites For Use in Opsonizing Antibody Assays

Published on: July 17, 2014

In Vitro Assay of Plasmodium-Infected Red Blood Cell Killing by Cytotoxic Lymphocytes08:20

In Vitro Assay of Plasmodium-Infected Red Blood Cell Killing by Cytotoxic Lymphocytes

Published on: August 17, 2022

Related Concept Videos

Malaria01:29

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
Anthelminthic Agents01:15

Anthelminthic Agents

Anthelmintic drugs differ significantly from antiparasitic therapies targeting protozoa, primarily due to differences in parasite biology. Whereas most protozoal treatments act on proliferating cells, anthelmintics are typically directed against mature, nonproliferative helminths. The therapeutic approach considers the helminth's reliance on neuromuscular coordination, glucose metabolism, and microtubular integrity for survival, reproduction, and localization within the host. Most anthelmintics...
Antiprotozoal Agents01:21

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
Development of Immunocompetence01:22

Development of Immunocompetence

The initiation of cell-mediated immunity can be observed as early as the third month of fetal growth, with active antibody-mediated immunity following approximately one month later.
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
Pulmonary Tuberculosis I01:29

Pulmonary Tuberculosis I

Tuberculosis, often called TB, is a contagious illness primarily caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It mainly affects the lung parenchyma but can also impact other body parts.
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...