Achidi E A, Perlmann H, Salimonu L S, Perlmann P, Walker O, Asuzu M C
Department of Chemical Pathology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Acta Trop. 1995 May;59(2):173-83. doi: 10.1016/0001-706x(95)00076-q.
The kinetics of passively transferred maternal antibodies to antigens of Plasmodium falciparum and the dynamics of acquisition of these antibodies during the first year of life was investigated in infants born in a malaria endemic area of south-western Nigeria. Blood samples were collected from the infants at bi-monthly follow-up visits for the analysis of total serum immunoglobulin G, IgM, IgA and antibodies to the antigen Pf155/RESA and against synthetic peptides representing antigenic sequences of the blood stage antigen Pf155/RESA and Ag332 or the circumsporozoite protein (CSP). IgG levels fell from birth till 4 months and a steady rise was observed thereafter till ten months of life. On the contrary mean IgM and IgA levels increased throughout the first year of life. Generally the number of infants positive for antibodies to the antigens under investigation fell from birth and between 4-6 months of age was either low or absent. None of the infants were positive for antibodies to the peptide representing Ag332 during the first year of life. The earliest seroconversion was detected at 6 months of age involving the Pf155/RESA and (NANP)6 antigens. The results indicate a high level of exposure in this study area to malaria infection early in life. The finding of an active antibody response to malarial antigens in infancy encourages the hope that a malaria vaccine administered early in life may accelerate the development of naturally acquired immunity and thus protect the population most at risk.
在尼日利亚西南部疟疾流行地区出生的婴儿中，研究了被动转移的母体抗恶性疟原虫抗原抗体的动力学以及这些抗体在生命第一年的获得动态。在每两个月一次的随访中采集婴儿的血样，分析血清总免疫球蛋白G、IgM、IgA以及针对抗原Pf155/RESA和代表血期抗原Pf155/RESA和Ag332或环子孢子蛋白（CSP）抗原序列的合成肽的抗体。IgG水平从出生到4个月下降，此后直到10个月龄观察到稳步上升。相反，平均IgM和IgA水平在生命的第一年中持续升高。一般来说，所研究抗原的抗体呈阳性的婴儿数量从出生时开始下降，在4至6个月龄时很低或没有。在生命的第一年中，没有婴儿对代表Ag332的肽的抗体呈阳性。最早在6个月龄时检测到血清转化，涉及Pf155/RESA和（NANP）6抗原。结果表明，该研究地区在生命早期就有很高的疟疾感染暴露水平。婴儿期对疟疾抗原产生积极抗体反应的发现，让人希望在生命早期接种疟疾疫苗可能会加速自然获得性免疫的发展，从而保护最危险的人群。
