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Modulation of the Host's Immune Response to Plasmodium berghei by a Parasite‐Derived Immunosuppressive Factor
Author(s) -
SROUR EDWARD F.,
SEGRE MARIANGELA,
SEGRE DIEGO
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1989.tb05523.x
Subject(s) - plasmodium berghei , parasitemia , immunosuppression , immune system , malaria , biology , immunology , antigen , parasite hosting , immunity , virology , plasmodium (life cycle) , plasmodium falciparum , world wide web , computer science
. It is well known that Plasmodium ‐infected hosts are immunosuppressed, as shown by their depressed immune responsiveness to a variety of antigens. It is not known, however, whether the immune response of malaria‐infected animals to the malarial parasite itself is suppressed. The availability of a noninfectious, immunosuppressive factor (ISF) derived from Plasmodium berghei ‐infected rat erythrocytes made it possible to investigate this question. Mice infected with P. berghei and injected with the ISF had higher levels of parasitemia and shorter survival times than control mice that were similarly infected but were treated with control material derived from noninfected rat erythrocytes or with saline solution. Conversely, mice immunized against the ISF and then infected with P. berghei had lower parasitemias and longer survival times than mice immunized with the control material or with saline solution. We conclude that immunosuppression in murine malaria affects the course of malaria infection.