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Polyclonal B-lymphocyte stimulation in human malaria and its association with ongoing parasitemia
D M Banic1, F S Viana-Martins, J M De Souza
1World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Immunology of Parasitic Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Abstract:
To study the polyclonal B-lymphocyte stimulation or activation (PBA) phenomenon in human malaria, the numbers of immunoglobulin (G, A, and M)-secreting cells in the peripheral blood, serum levels of immunoglobulins, and the presence of antibodies directed against the DNA-autoantigen were evaluated in Plasmodium falciparum- and P. vivax-infected individuals. Individuals chronically exposed to the risk of infection or non-immune subjects who contracted malaria during first visits to endemic areas were studied. Numbers of immunoglobulin-secreting cells (IgSC) were increased dependent upon ongoing parasitemia. Levels of IgG and the anti-DNA activity were also augmented in malarious individuals from the endemic area. Study of the kinetics of PBA done in treated patients showed that PBA decreased during treatment and disappeared 5-15 days after the start of chemotherapy.