IMMUNOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE ANTIGENE OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MALARIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT In a previous thesis, the study of certain aspects of the immune response of man to Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Ibadan, Nigeria were investigated. An attempt was made for the search of a suitable source of plasmodial material for the preparation of malarial antigen that can be applied in the detection and assay of malarial antibodies. Some Immunochemical properties of malarial antigens derived from Infected human brain and parasites grown in vitro were also studied (Williams, 1 968). The present thesis is a further study of the Immunochemical properties of the antigens of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the same locality. The first Chapter is a general introduction to the relevant literature dealing with the epidemiology, pathology and Immunology of falciparum malaria. Chapter II, Section 1 gives a comparative account of the methods of preparing malarial antigen from human placenta and its application in the detection and assay of malarial Antibodies by the agar diffusion technique. Some of the Immuno-chemical properties of the malarial placenta antigen were also presented. Chapter II, Section 11 is the study of the antigenicity of the malarial placenta antigen in rabbits. The occurrence of soluble malarial antigens in the serum of monkeys and birds experimentally infected with malaria parasites has been described by various authors. Chapter III gives an account of the incidcnce of malarial soluble serum antigens as well as the malarial specificity of the antigen-antibody systems involved In a Nigerian population. Chapter IV describes some physico¬chemical studies on the malarial soluble serum antigens as well as the nature of the immune complexes that may occur in fa1ciparum malaria. The concluding Chapter V, contains a general discussion and summary of the investigations described in the earlier chapters.