Acquisition of invasion-inhibitory antibodies specific for the 19-kDa fragment of merozoite surface protein 1 in a transmigrant population requires multiple infections

Abstract

Antibodies against the 19 kDa C-terminal fragment of merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP119) are a major component of the invasion-inhibitory response in individuals immune to malaria. We report here the acquisition of MSP119-specific invasion-inhibitory antibodies in a group of transmigrants who experienced their sequential malaria infections during settlement in an area of Indonesia where malaria is highly endemic. We used 2 transgenic Plasmodium falciparum parasite lines that expressed either endogenous MSP119 or the homologous region from P. chabaudi to measure the MSP119-specific invasion-inhibitory antibodies. The results revealed that the acquisition of MSP119-specific invasion-inhibitor..