Publication: Partial protection against P. vivax infection diminishes hypnozoite burden and blood-stage relapses
Issued Date
2021-05-12
Resource Type
ISSN
19346069
19313128
19313128
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-85104930169
Rights
Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Cell Host and Microbe. Vol.29, No.5 (2021), 752-756.e4
Suggested Citation
Carola Schäfer, Nicholas Dambrauskas, Laura M. Reynolds, Olesya Trakhimets, Andrew Raappana, Erika L. Flannery, Wanlapa Roobsoong, Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Sebastian A. Mikolajczak, Stefan H.I. Kappe, D. Noah Sather Partial protection against P. vivax infection diminishes hypnozoite burden and blood-stage relapses. Cell Host and Microbe. Vol.29, No.5 (2021), 752-756.e4. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2021.03.011 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/77287
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Title
Partial protection against P. vivax infection diminishes hypnozoite burden and blood-stage relapses
Abstract
Latent forms of Plasmodium vivax, called hypnozoites, cause malaria relapses from the liver into the bloodstream and are a major obstacle to malaria eradication. To experimentally assess the impact of a partially protective pre-erythrocytic vaccine on reducing Plasmodium vivax relapses, we developed a liver-humanized mouse model that allows monitoring of relapses directly in the blood. We passively infused these mice with a suboptimal dose of an antibody that targets the circumsporozoite protein prior to challenge with P. vivax sporozoites. Although this regimen did not completely prevent primary infection, antibody-treated mice experienced 62% fewer relapses. The data constitute unprecedented direct experimental evidence that suboptimal efficacy of infection-blocking antibodies, while not completely preventing primary infection, has a pronounced benefit in reducing the number of relapses. These findings suggest that a partially efficacious pre-erythrocytic Plasmodium vivax vaccine can have a disproportionately high impact in positive public health outcomes.