Cloned T cells provide help for malaria-specific polyclonal antibody responses

Athymic mice grafted with antigen-reactive cloned T cells and challenged with Plasmodium chabaudi adami produced antibodies against multiple parasite antigens. Antibody reactivities were similar to those seen in infected euthymic mice and contrasted with their absence in infected athymic mice. These results suggest that it will not be possible to determine the antigenic specificity of clonal T cell populations in malarial infections by their capacity to provide help to restricted populations of B lymphocytes.