CD8(+) T cells mediate robust stage-specific immunity to P. berghei under chemoprophylaxis and this protective environment is not downregulated by the presence of blood-stage infection

PLoS One. 2014 Feb 7;9(2):e88117. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088117. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Sterile protection against malaria infection can be achieved by the inoculation of intact sporozoites while treating concomitantly with the 4-aminoquinoline chloroquine. We present an analysis of protective immunity elicited by successive immunization with Plasmodium berghei sporozoites under chemoprophylaxis. Immunization resulted in a protective, stage-specific immune response. Protection appeared to be mediated by CD8(+) T cells and was abrogated upon their specific depletion. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes rendered recipient animals resistant to sporozoite infection, but not to blood-stage challenge. Immunization with sporozoites under chemoprophylaxis results in robust immunity, and the presence of blood-stage infection at sporozoite immunization had no downregulating effect on the protective immune response.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antimalarials / pharmacology
  • Antimalarials / therapeutic use*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Chemoprevention
  • Chloroquine / pharmacology
  • Chloroquine / therapeutic use*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Immunization
  • Immunologic Memory / drug effects
  • Immunologic Memory / immunology
  • Malaria / immunology
  • Malaria / prevention & control*
  • Malaria Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Mice
  • Plasmodium berghei*
  • Sporozoites / immunology

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Malaria Vaccines
  • Chloroquine

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Heidelberg University Hospital. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.