Plasmodium falciparum: IgG subclass antibody response to merozoite surface protein-1 among Amazonian gold miners, in relation to infection status and disease expression

The merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) of Plasmodium falciparum comprises two major targets of antibody-mediated immunity: the polymorphic block 2 and the 19-kDa C-terminal domain MSP-119. Here, we measured antibodies to three block 2 variants and MSP-119 among Amazonian gold miners and examined the repertoire of block 2 variants in local parasites. Main findings were as follows: (1) Only seven different block 2 variants were found in 18 DNA sequences analyzed. (2) No major difference was observed in IgG subclass distribution of antibodies from symptomatic P. falciparum-infected patients, asymptomatic parasite carriers, and non-infected subjects. (3) Antibodies to all block 2 antigens, but not to MSP-119, were biased towards IgG3 across different strata of cumulative malaria exposure. (4) Similar proportions of symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects failed to recognize the block 2 variant expressed by infecting parasites. These negative results underscore the limits of conventional antibody assays to evaluate clinical immunity to malaria.