Immunoglobulin G2a isotype may have a protective role in Plasmodium berghei NK65 infection in immunised mice

All CBA mice that had been immunised by means of four successive inoculations of Plasmodium berghei NK65, each inoculation being followed by chemotherapy, survived an intravenous challenge inoculation of parasite, with 4/12 mice developing patent parasitaemia that resolved within 2 weeks. In contrast, all non-immunised control mice died before the 10th day post-challenge. Examination of sera for antibodies revealed that the immunised mice, all of which survived the challenge, had significantly high anti-plasmodial whole IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a titres before the challenge. A 16-fold rise in IgG2a titre alone was recorded on the 5th day post-challenge, with a further boosting of the titre to 4096 being observed on day 10. In comparison, the titres of Ig isotypes in the non-immunised control mice that succumbed to the challenge remained below 4. Specific IgG subclasses, in particular IgG2a, could be involved in the humoral immune protection against this rodent parasite.