Chemically Attenuated Blood-Stage Plasmodium yoelii Parasites Induce Long-Lived and Strain-Transcending Protection.

ABSTRACT: The development of a vaccine is essential for the elimination of malaria. However, despite many years of effort, a successful vaccine has not been achieved. Most subunit vaccine candidates tested in clinical trials have provided limited efficacy, and thus attenuated whole-parasite vaccines are now receiving close scrutiny. Here, we test chemically attenuated Plasmodium yoelii 17X and demonstrate significant protection following homologous and heterologous blood-stage challenge. Protection against blood-stage infection persisted for at least 9 months. Activation of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells was shown after vaccination; however, in vivo studies demonstrated a pivotal role for both CD4(+) T cells and B cells since the absence of either cell type led to loss of vaccine-induced protection.

SUBMITTER: Raja AI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4962623 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature