The spleen, IgG antibody subsets and immunity to Plasmodium berghei in rats

The development of IgG subclass-specific antibody responses to Plasmodium berghei in spleen-chimeric rats were monitored to determine if there was any relationship between IgG subset profiles and resistance. Strongly immune eusplenic rats respond to challenge with P. berghei by producing high levels of parasite-specific IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG2c but only modest levels of IgG1. Splenectomy profoundly affects the antibody response to infection. Thus, in splenectomized immunized rats, which harbour a chronic parasitaemia of 1%, the IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG2c responses peak 1 week later than in eusplenic immunized rats although the size of the peak is similar. More marked effects are apparent in the IgG1 response, the magnitude of which is far greater in splenectomized immunized rats than eusplenic immunized rats. Similar antibody profiles are seen in splenectomized immunized rats transplanted with a naive spleen. In contrast, splenectomized naive rats receiving either a transplant of a spleen from an immune rat or a transfer of immune spleen cells have high levels of IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG2c but modest levels of IgG1. However, only the former group of rats completely clears the parasite, the latter maintaining a chronic 1% parasitaemia. Thus, although complete resistance to P. berghei is always associated with high levels of parasite-specific IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG2c plus modest levels of IgG1, this is not a sufficient set of conditions to guarantee complete immunity. The IgG subset profile may be related to cytokine production; IFN-gamma was detected in the sera of rats receiving spleens from rats immune to P. berghei (modest IgG1 responses) but not in rats receiving spleens from naive animals (pronounced IgG1 responses).