Unexpected types of antibodies found in people infected with malaria

Malaria is a pathogen that is transmitted to the bloodstream by mosquitoes in tropical areas.

The researchers say their unexpected findings provide new insights into understanding the human body’s response to malaria infection, and may ultimately help determine new ways to treat malaria or develop vaccines

The research was published in the September 13th issue of "NPJ Vaccine"

According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 400,000 people die from malaria infection each year, and more than two-thirds of them are children under 5 years of age

"We have made progress in treating and preventing deaths from malaria infection, but progress has stalled and we need new ideas," said Andrea Berry, MD, a pediatric infectious disease doctor and study author, who is an associate professor of pediatrics at UMSOM and also UMSOM's vaccine development and scientists at the Center for Global Health (CVD)

The body's immune system produces different kinds of antibodies to help clear the infection and prevent re-infection

In this new study, the research team looked at antibodies collected in the blood of 54 adult study participants infected with malaria in the laboratory, either through direct injections into the bloodstream or through mosquito bites

Dr.

Now, she said, determining why these children do not have high levels of IgA will allow researchers to learn more about how malaria infection affects the body

"There are several possible explanations for this difference between adults and children," Dr.

Dr.

"Even with advances in medicine, malaria is still one of the leading causes of death in developing countries," said E.

DOI

10.

Article title

Immunoprofiles associated with controlled human malaria infection and naturally acquired immunity identify a shared IgA pre-erythrocytic immunoproteome