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. 2007 Jun 28:6:82.
doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-6-82.

IgG antibody responses to Plasmodium falciparum merozoite antigens in Kenyan children have a short half-life

Samson M Kinyanjui  1 , David J Conway, David E Lanar, Kevin Marsh
Affiliations

IgG antibody responses to Plasmodium falciparum merozoite antigens in Kenyan children have a short half-life

Samson M Kinyanjui et al. Malar J. .

Abstract

Background: Data suggest that antibody responses to malaria parasites merozoite antigens are generally short-lived and this has implications for serological studies and malaria vaccine designs. However, precise data on the kinetics of these responses is lacking.

Methods: IgG1 and IgG3 responses to five recombinant Plasmodium falciparum merozoite antigens (MSP-119, MSP-2 type A and B, AMA-1 ectodomain and EBA-175 region II) among Kenyan children were monitored using ELISA for 12 weeks after an acute episode of malaria and their half-lives estimated using an exponential decay model.

Results: The responses peaked mainly at week 1 and then decayed rapidly to very low levels within 6 weeks. Estimation of the half-lives of 40 IgG1 responses yielded a mean half-life of 9.8 days (95% CI: 7.6-12.0) while for 16 IgG3 responses it was 6.1 days (95% CI: 3.7-8.4), periods that are shorter than those normally described for the catabolic half-life of these antibody subclasses.

Conclusion: This study indicates antibodies against merozoite antigens have very short half-lives and this has to be taken into account when designing serological studies and vaccines based on the antigens.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of absorbance profiles of IgG1 response to the test antigens among the study children. Day 0 is the day of presentation to hospital. The number above each plot is the child's study number. a) Children who had moderate to high level of antibodies to one or more antigens at presentation to hospital. b) Children who made a distinct responses to one or more antigens after presentation to hospital. For the responses whose half-life was estimated, the sampling points used in the estimation are joined by a bold line. Responses that peaked beyond the interpolation range of the standard curve are plotted in dotted lines. The solid triangles below the plots indicate time points when the children were positive for malaria parasites.
Figure 2
Figure 2
IgG3 antibodies responses to the test antigens among children where some of the profiles were used in half-life estimation. Day 0 is the day of presentation to hospital. The number above the plot is the child's study number. The sampling points used in half-life estimation are joined with a bold line. The solid triangles below the plots indicate time points when the children were positive for malaria parasites.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Half-lives of individual IgG1 and IgG3 responses to the test antigens in days. Among some children, response profile to only one of the four test antigens fulfilled the criteria for half-life analysis while among the other children, profiles of responses to two or more antigens were analysed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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