Naturally acquired humoral and cellular immune responses to Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 9 in Northwestern Amazon individuals

Antibody and T-cell reactivities to Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 9 (PvMSP9) were evaluated in a cross-sectional study of individuals naturally exposed to malaria infections living in Ribeirinha, a native riverine community and in Colina, a transmigrant community, Rondonia, Brazil. The antibody responses to PvMSP9-RIRII and PvMSP9-Nt domains in Ribeirinha were higher compared with Colina and correlated with age and time of malaria exposure. IgG2 was most prevalent for PvMSP9-RII in both communities, and IgG1 was the predominant isotype for PvMSP9-Nt and PvMSP9-RIRII in Ribeirinha. IFN-γ and IL-4 predominated in Ribeirinha, while IFN-γ predominated in Colina. Variation in exposure to P. vivax likely accounts for the differences observed in cytokine and antibody levels between the two populations studied.