Host defenses in murine malaria: analysis of the mechanisms of immunity to Plasmodium berghei generated in response to immunization with formalin-killed blood-stage parasites.

Syngeneic B6D2F1 (C57Bl/6 x DBA/2) mice were immunized with a nonliving antigen prepared from mixed blood forms of Plasmodium berghei strain NYU-2. Consistently greater than 80% of the vaccinated mice survived virulent challenge, and protective immunity was demonstrable from 1 week through at least 4 months after immunization. However, vaccination did not prevent the development of patient infection after challenge. Instead, infections in vaccinated mice progressed to about 10% parasitemia and were then subsequently cleared. In contrast, infections initiated in nonvaccinated mice progressed beyond 10% parasitemia and were uniformly fatal within 4 weeks. Sera collected from normal mice, nonvaccinated mice infected with P. berghei, or vaccinated mice before challenge failed to passively protect recipients against virulent infection. On the other hand, sera collected from vaccinated mice after recovery from a challenge infection conferred upon passively immunized recipients protection from homologous virulent challenge, which was manifest as a delay in the onset of overt infection. It was concluded, therefore, that vaccination altered the immunological potential of the host in such a way as to allow the production of a protective humoral factor, probably specific antibody, in response to infection with the virulent parasites.