Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
immunology and microbiology
Analysis of immunity to febrile malaria in children that distinguishes immunity from lack of exposure
Infection and Immunity, Volume 77, No. 5, Year 2009
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
In studies of immunity to malaria, the absence of febrile malaria is commonly considered evidence of "protection." However, apparent "protection" may be due to a lack of exposure to infective mosquito bites or due to immunity. We studied a cohort that was given curative antimalarials before monitoring began and documented newly acquired asymptomatic parasitemia and febrile malaria episodes during 3 months of surveillance. With increasing age, there was a shift away from febrile malaria to acquiring asymptomatic parasitemia, with no change in the overall incidence of infection. Antibodies to the infected red cell surface were associated with acquiring asymptomatic infection rather than febrile malaria or remaining uninfected. Bed net use was associated with remaining uninfected rather than acquiring asymptomatic infection or febrile malaria. These observations suggest that most uninfected children were unexposed rather than "immune." Had they been immune, we would have expected the proportion of uninfected children to rise with age and that the uninfected children would have been distinguished from children with febrile malaria by the protective antibody response. We show that removing the less exposed children from conventional analyses clarifies the effects of immunity, transmission intensity, bed nets, and age. Observational studies and vaccine trials will have increased power if they differentiate between unexposed and immune children. Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Bejon, Philip A.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
United Kingdom, Oxford
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Kenya, Kilifi
Kemri-wellcome Trust Collaborative Research Programme
Warimwe, George M.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Mackintosh, C. L.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
MacKinnon, Margaret J.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Kinyanjui, Sam Muchina
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Musyoki, Jennifer N.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Bull, Peter C.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Marsh, Kevin
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
United Kingdom, Oxford
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Statistics
Citations: 109
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1128/IAI.01358-08
ISSN:
00199567
e-ISSN:
10985522
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cohort Study