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- Why do we need to know more about mixed Plasmodium species infections in humans?
Trends in Parasitology, Volume 20, Issue 9, 1 September 2004, Pages 440-447
Peter A. Zimmerman, Rajeev K. Mehlotra, Laurin J. Kasehagen and James W. Kazura
AbstractFour Plasmodium species cause malaria in humans. Most malaria-endemic regions feature mixed infections involving two or more of these species. Factors contributing to heterogeneous parasite species and disease distribution include differences in genetic polymorphisms underlying parasite drug resistance and host susceptibility, mosquito vector ecology and transmission seasonality. It is suggested that unknown factors limit mixed Plasmodium species infections, and that mixed-species infections protect against severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Careful examination of methods used to detect these parasites and interpretation of individual- and population-based data are necessary to understand the influence of mixed Plasmodium species infections on malarial disease. This should ensure that deployment of future antimalarial vaccines and drugs will be conducted in a safe and timely manner.
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- Escaping the immune system: How the malaria parasite makes vaccine development a challenge
Trends in Parasitology, Volume 29, Issue 12, 1 December 2013, Pages 612-622
Danielle I. Stanisic, Alyssa E. Barry and Michael F. Good
AbstractMalaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Immunity is acquired but is suboptimal, being slow to develop and incomplete. An inadequate understanding of natural immunity, host–parasite interactions, and a lack of reliable immune correlates of protection that could predict vaccine efficacy in the field have hindered development of a vaccine. With data from Phase III trials indicating that the leading malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S, has limited efficacy, it is necessary to reconsider approaches to the development of a vaccine capable of inducing long-lived protection.
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- The dog that did not bark: malaria vaccines without antibodies
Trends in Parasitology, Volume 23, Issue 7, 1 July 2007, Pages 293-296
D. Gray Heppner, Robert J. Schwenk, David Arnot, Robert W. Sauerwein and Adrian J.F. Luty
AbstractTo date, the only pre-blood stage vaccine to confer protection against malaria in field trials elicits both antigen-specific antibody and T-cell responses. Recent clinical trials of new heterologous prime-boost malaria vaccine regimens using DNA, fowlpox or MVA, have chiefly elicited T-cell responses that have promisingly reduced hepatic merozoites in challenge trials, but failed to protect in field trials. These encouraging results suggest further augmentation of T-cell responses to pre-blood stage antigens might one day contribute to a highly protective vaccine. We envision that a highly protective pre-erythrocytic vaccine will likely be based upon a heterologous prime-boost regimen that induces both appropriate T-cell responses as well as robust and protracted antibody production.‘Inspector Gregory: “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”“The dog did nothing in the night-time.”“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.’The Adventure of Silver Blaze by Arthur Conan Doyle
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Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved.
Trends in Parasitology, Volume 28, Issue 11, 515-521, 08 October 2012
Breaking barriers: a leap ahead in Plasmodium biology
Experimentally induced blood stage malaria infection as a tool for clinical research
1 The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2 The School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
3 Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
A system for experimentally induced blood stage malaria infection (IBSM) with Plasmodium falciparum by direct intravenous inoculation of infected erythrocytes was developed at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) more than 15 years ago. Since that time, this system has been used in several studies to investigate the protective effect of vaccines, the clearance kinetics of parasites following drug treatment, and to improve understanding of the early events in blood stage infection. In this article, we will review the development of IBSM and the applications for which it is being employed. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of IBSM, and finish by describing some exciting new areas of research that have been made possible by this system.