Dynamics of the antibody response to Plasmodium falciparum infection in African children

Abstract

Background. Acquired immune responses to malaria have widely been perceived sto be short-lived, with previously immune individuals losing immunity when they move from malaria-endemic areas. However longlived Plasmodium falciparum-specific antibody responses lasting for an individual's lifetime are frequently observed. Methods. We fit mathematical models of the dynamics of antibody titers to P. falciparum antigens from longitudinal cohort studies of African children to estimate the half-lives of circulating immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and IgG antibody-secreting cells (ASCs). Results. Comparison of antibody responses in the younger Ghanaian cohort and the older Gambian cohort suggests that young children are less able to generate the long-lived ASCs necessary to maintain the circulating antibodies that may provide protection against reinfection. Antibody responses in African children can be described by a model 15 including both short-lived ASCs (half-life range, 2-10 days), which are responsible for boosting antibody titers following infection, and long-lived ASCs (half-life range, 3-9 years), which are responsible for maintaining sustained humoral responses. Conclusions. The rapid decay of antibodies following exposure to malaria and the maintenance of sustained antibody responses can be explained in terms of populations of short-lived and long-lived ASCs. © The Author 2014.