The Complexity of Protective Immunity Against Liver-Stage Malaria

Against Liver-Stage Malaria The Complexity of Protective Immunity

Protective immunity to liver-stage malaria

Despite decades of research and recent clinical trials, an efficacious long-lasting preventative vaccine for malaria remains elusive. This parasite infects mammals via mosquito bites, progressing through several stages including the relatively short asymptomatic liver stage followed by the more persistent cyclic blood stage, the latter of which is responsible for all disease symptoms. As the li...

Protective immunity against malaria liver stage after vaccination with live parasites.

Despite nearly 100 years of research and control efforts, malaria remains one of the most important infectious diseases. An efficient vaccine would be a powerful to tool to reduce mortality and morbidity. Experimentally, induction of sterile immunity in humans after vaccination with attenuated sporozoites has been obtained. This observation has spurred the search for subunit vaccines that aim t...

Protective immunity to pre-erythrocytic stage malaria.

The development of a vaccine against malaria is a major research priority given the burden of disease, death and economic loss inflicted upon the tropical world by this parasite. Despite decades of effort, however, a vaccine remains elusive. The best candidate is a subunit vaccine termed RTS,S but this provides only partial protection against clinical disease. This review examines what is known...

Roles of IFN-γ and γδ T Cells in Protective Immunity Against Blood-Stage Malaria

Malaria is caused by infection with Plasmodium parasites. Various studies with knockout mice have indicated that IFN-γ plays essential roles in protective immunity against blood-stage Plasmodium infection. However, after Plasmodium infection, increased IFN-γ production by various types of cells is involved not only in protective immunity, but also in immunopathology. Recent reports have shown t...