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Antibodies to the Repetitive Epitope of Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein in a Rural Tanzanian Community: A Longitudinal Study of 132 Children

Giuseppe Del Giudice^*, Howard D. Engers^*, Chantal Tougne^*, Stephan S. Biro, Niklaus Weiss, Antonio S. Verdini, Antonello Pessi, Antoine A. Degremont, Thierry A. Freyvogel, Paul-Henri Lambert^* AND Marcel Tanner^,,

^* World Health Organization Immunology Research and Training Centre, Department of Pathology, University of Geneva, CMU, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland,
Swiss Tropical Institute, Field Laboratory, Ifakara, Tanzania,
Swiss Tropical Institute, 4051 Basel, Switzerland,
and Polypeptide Synthesis Department, Eniricerche, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy

An ELISA employing a novel synthetic peptide consisting of 40 (Asn-Ala-Asn-Pro) repeats of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein, (NANP)₄₀, was used to detect antibodies against P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein in 132 children, 1 month to 15 years old, from a rural community (Kikwawila village) of Tanzania, a region where malaria is hyperendemic. The children were surveyed comprehensively over 3 consecutive years for clinical, parasitological, and serological parameters. Entomological data were also gathered for selected households in this village. The following results were obtained: anti-(NANP)₄₀ antibodies increased as a function of age; the majority of children over 10 years showed a stable positivity for such antibodies during the longitudinal study; a negative correlation was observed between the levels of anti-sporozoite antibodies and both spleen enlargement and the presence of parasites in thick smears; no relationship was found between anti-(NANP)₄₀ antibodies and asexual blood stage antibodies; children living in two representative households with comparable indoor resting mosquito densities showed markedly different frequencies of anti-(NANP)₄₀ antibodies, in spite of comparable clinical, parasitological, and serological parameters. Thus, in addition to the exposure to infectious mosquito bites, other (e.g., genetic) factors, may play a role in the ability of certain individuals to mount an antibody response against this immunodominant repetitive epitope. The results presented in this paper confirm that the (NANP)₄₀-ELISA represents a simple, reliable means for the detection of anti-(NANP)₄₀ circumsporozoite protein antibodies and suggest that such antibodies may contribute to the immune protection against malaria in humans.

Accepted for publication September 29, 1986.