Soluble pIasma IL-2 receptors and maIaria

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
PIasma levels of soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) were measured by immunoassay in 180 individuals, aged 1–70 years, living in a maIaria-endemic community in West Africa. slL-2R levels were compared with age. maIaria parasitacmia. maIaria-associated morbidity and cellular immune responses to PIasmodium falciparum antigens. PIasma levels ofsIL-2R were independently associated with both age and patent maIaria parasitacmia. No significant association was observed between IL-2R levels and concurrent maIaria morbidity (i.e. Fever associated with maIaria), but the number of individuals with clinical maIaria at the time of sampling was small. Although there was no association between pIasma sIL-2R levels and in vitro proliferativc responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to a number of defined maIaria antigens, we did find a significant negative association between sIL-2R and in vitro proliferation of unslimulatcd PBMC. High levels of sIL-2R (up to 5500 U ml) were detected in the pIasma of maIaria-infected individuals: this is indicative of a vigorous cellular immune response to malaria antigens in vivo and does not support the notion that maIaria infections are generally immunosuppressive. Indeed, we found that, at the low levels of parasitacmia present in study subjects, there was no significant difference in the mean prolifcrative response to maIaria antigens in infected subjects when compared with uninfected subjects.