Lugaajju Allan, Reddy Sreenivasulu B, Rönnberg Caroline, Wahlgren Mats, Kironde Fred, Persson Kristina E M
School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
Malar J. 2015 Sep 26;14:370. doi: 10.1186/s12936-015-0911-0.
Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is still a major health threat in endemic areas especially for children below 5 years of age. While it is recognized that antibody immunity plays an important role in controlling the disease, knowledge of the mechanisms of sustenance and natural boosting of immunity is very limited. Before, it has not been possible to investigate malaria specific B-cells directly in flow cytometry, making it difficult to know how much of a B cell response is due to malaria, or how much is due to other immunological stimulators.
This study developed a technique using quantum dots and schizont extract made from ghosts of infected erythrocytes, to be able to investigate P. falciparum specific B-cells, something that has never been done before.
Major differences in P. falciparum specific B-cells were found between samples from immune (22.3 %) and non-immune (1.7 %) individuals. Samples from parasite positive individuals had the highest proportions of specific B-cells (27.9 %).
The study showed increased levels of P. falciparum-specific B-cells in immune individuals, with the highest levels in active malaria infections, using a new technique that opens up new possibilities to study how these cells are sustained in vivo after natural infections. It will also be useful in vaccine studies.
恶性疟原虫引起的疟疾仍然是流行地区的主要健康威胁，尤其是对5岁以下儿童。虽然人们认识到抗体免疫在控制该疾病中发挥着重要作用，但对免疫维持和自然增强机制的了解非常有限。以前，无法在流式细胞术中直接研究疟疾特异性B细胞，这使得很难知道B细胞反应中有多少是由疟疾引起的，又有多少是由其他免疫刺激物引起的。
本研究开发了一种利用量子点和从感染红细胞的空泡中提取的裂殖体提取物的技术，以便能够研究恶性疟原虫特异性B细胞，这是以前从未做过的事情。
在免疫个体（22.3%）和非免疫个体（1.7%）的样本中发现了恶性疟原虫特异性B细胞的主要差异。来自寄生虫阳性个体的样本中特异性B细胞的比例最高（27.9%）。
该研究表明，使用一种新技术，免疫个体中恶性疟原虫特异性B细胞水平升高，在活动性疟疾感染中水平最高，该技术为研究这些细胞在自然感染后如何在体内维持开辟了新的可能性。它在疫苗研究中也将很有用。
