IMMUNITY TO MALARIA - ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO ANTIGENIC VARIATION BY PLASMODIUM KNOWLESI

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  • 1 January 1968
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 14  (1) , 127-+
Abstract
Monkey erythrocytes infected with schizonts of P. knowlesi are agglutinated when mixed with serum taken from chronically infected monkeys. This reaction was highly specific and capable of distinguishing antigenic variants of 1 strain. Chronic infections of P. knowlesi in rhesus monkeys are maintained by a succession of antigenically distinct populations, each population stimulating a specific agglutinin response. Additional agglutinins which are not variant specific are found at low titer in sera taken after an infection has persisted for a mo. or more. The possible relevance of these observations to protective immunity is discussed.