Researchers identified immune responses that block Plasmodium falciparum transmission from humans to mosquitoes in a six-year cohort study in Uganda, according to findings published in Nature Communications.
The study evaluated longitudinal dynamics and immune signatures of naturally occurring transmission-reducing activity by combining data from 611 standard membrane feeding assays, tracking children and adults across up to 18 assessments per individual. The data showed that transmission-reducing activity developed naturally and persisted in a minority of exposed participants.
Prior history of parasite exposure positively related to both transmission-reducing activity and antibodies directed against P. falciparum sexual-stage antigens. When mosquitoes ingest these antibodies during a blood meal, the immune response can inhibit onward parasite transmission.
Specific antibody targets showed distinct dynamics during the multi-year study. Antibodies directed against Pfs48/45 and Pfs230 appeared relatively short-lived but associated with high-level transmission-reducing activity. The authors also found that naturally acquired antibodies against a further 13 sexual-stage antigens associated with high-level transmission-reducing activity.
Teun Bousema and William Stone jointly supervised the investigation, collaborating across institutions including Radboud University Medical Centre, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration in Uganda. The work received financial support from the Wellcome Trust, the European Research Council, the UKRI Medical Research Council, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
