Premium
ANALYSIS OF PATTERNS OF GROWTH INHIBITION OF P. FALCIPARUM IN SYNCHRONISED CULTURES INDUCED BY SERUM FROM CHILDREN AND ADULTS FROM MADANG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Author(s) -
Cowen NL,
Clancy RL,
Tulloch JL,
Cripps AW,
Alpers MP
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
australian journal of experimental biology and medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0004-945X
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1985.55
Subject(s) - plasmodium falciparum , new guinea , in vitro , growth inhibition , biology , incubation , intracellular , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , malaria , biochemistry , ethnology , history
Summary In this study we have modified a micro Plasmodium falciparum in vitro growth inhibition assay to allow dissection of growth inhibition induced by test sera into two categories: inhibition of intracellular schizont growth and inhibition of uptake of merozoites into a second cohort of erythrocytes. This was achieved using morphology‐controlled synchronised cultures with incubation times restricted to cover either ring to schizont development or schizont to ring development. Sera tested were obtained from a large prospective study of healthy residents of Madang, Papua New Guinea, who were carefully documented with respect to presence of malarial parasites in the blood, spleen size, age, sex and history of fever. In the ring to schizont assay sera from all the children tested inhibited parasitic growth by at least 20%, compared to only 10 of 39 adults tested (P < 0.0005). In the schizont to ring assay 20 of 39 adult sera tested inhibited the uptake of 14 C‐isoleucine into P. falciparum protein compared to 3 of the 15 children's sera tested (P < 0.01). These results are interpreted as reflecting a switch from non‐specific mechanisms of resistance with increasing age.