Immunological mechanisms controlling blood-stage parasites in mouse models of malaria

Abstract

Controlling Plasmodium parasite numbers in vivo is crucial for protection against malaria.However, immunological mechanisms that mediate this process remain incompletely defined. For example, although robust antibody responses are essential for controlling parasites, host immune factors that influence the development of these responses are not well understood. A second example is our limited understanding of the role of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) during infection. In part, this is due to the lack of appropriate in vivo tools. This thesis examined cellular and molecular factors that influenced control of parasites in mouse models of blood-stage Plasmodium infection. switching and the production of parasite-specific antibodies were established.