A Vaccination Approach to Develop Experimental Model of Malaria via Immunization of Mice against Plasmodium Yoelii Nigeriensis Soluble Antigens Using Qs-21 as Adjuvant

Objective: Malaria is the deadliest infectious diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. Several strategies have been under extensive research since decades including chemoprophylaxis and other disease antimalarial interventions like malaria vaccine. The vaccine development is more difficult to predict than drug development and presents a unique challenge as already there has been no vaccine effective against a parasite. For development and screening of malaria vaccine, a suitable animal model is the prime requirement. Non-human primate models are considerably a good choice to mimic human malarias, but due to various reasons like ethical, cost effective, maintenance and relative ease of conducting experiments. Rodent’s malaria vaccination models remain the preferred choice. Methods: To develop such model we required 100% lethal host/parasite system that would be an ideal system for experimental vaccination studies. Such a rigorous model is particularly required for the identification and development of suitable adjuvant/co-adjuvant(s) for future human malaria vaccines. Results: Because, P. yoelii nigeriensis invariably causes a 100% lethal fulminating infection in Swiss mice, so in present studies, we vaccinate Swiss mice with P. yoelii nigeriensis total P. yoelii nigeriensis Soluble antigen (Pyn-SA)and saponin as adjuvant, following 100% lethal study homologous challenge and then followed by passive transfer of experiment. Conclusion: P. yoelii nigeriensis caused a fulminant 100% lethal infection in mice (as saw in the control groups). The protection observed in the vaccinated group of mice can be unambiguously ascribed to vaccine-induced protective immunity only.