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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Using an improved phagocytosis assay to evaluate the effect of HIV on specific antibodies to pregnancy- associated malaria
PLoS ONE, Volume 5, No. 5, Article e10807, Year 2010
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Description
Background: Pregnant women residing in malaria endemic areas are highly susceptible to Plasmodium falciparum malaria, particularly during their first pregnancy, resulting in low birth weight babies and maternal anaemia. This susceptibility is associated with placental sequestration of parasitised red blood cells expressing pregnancy-specific variant surface antigens. Acquisition of antibodies against these variant surface antigens may protect women and their offspring. Functions of such antibodies may include prevention of placental sequestration or opsonisation of parasitised cells for phagocytic clearance. Methodology/Findings: Here we report the development and optimisation of a new high-throughput flow cytometrybased phagocytosis assay using undifferentiated Thp-1 cells to quantitate the amount of opsonizing antibody in patient sera, and apply this assay to measure the impact of HIV on the levels of antibodies to a pregnancy malaria-associated parasite line in a cohort of Malawian primigravid women. The assay showed high reproducibility, with inter-experimental correlation of r2 = 0.99. In primigravid women, concurrent malaria infection was associated with significantly increased antibodies, whereas HIV decreased the ability to acquire opsonising antibodies (Mann-Whitney ranksum: p=0.013). This decrease was correlated with HIV-induced immunosuppression, with women with less than 350×106 CD4+ T- cells/L having less opsonising antibodies (coef: -11.95,P = 0.002). Levels of antibodies were not associated with protection from low birth weight or anaemia. Conclusions/Significance: This flow cytometry-based phagocytosis assay proved to be efficient and accurate for the measurement of Fc-receptor mediated phagocytosis-inducing antibodies in large cohorts. HIV was found to affect mainly the acquisition of antibodies to pregnancy-specific malaria in primigravidae. Further studies of the relationship between opsonising antibodies to malaria in pregnancy and HIV are indicated. © 2010 Ataíde et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC2876038/bin/pone.0010807.s001.doc
Authors & Co-Authors
Ataíde, Ricardo
Australia, Melbourne
University of Melbourne
Portugal, Porto
Universidade do Porto
Hasang, Wina
Australia, Melbourne
University of Melbourne
Wilson, Danny W.
Australia, Melbourne
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Beeson, James G.
Australia, Melbourne
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Mwapasa, Victor
Malawi, Zomba
University of Malawi
Molyneux, Malcolm Edward
Malawi, Zomba
University of Malawi
United Kingdom, Liverpool
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Meshnick, Steven Richard
United States, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Rogerson, Stephen J.
Australia, Melbourne
University of Melbourne
Statistics
Citations: 59
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 6
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0010807
e-ISSN:
19326203
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Study Design
Cohort Study
Participants Gender
Female