Preliminary assessment of anti-α-Gal IgG and IgM levels in patients with patent Plasmodium vivax infection.
Zélia Barbosa de Almeida CoelhoLuiza Carvalho MourãoBeatriz Carolina Medeiros RodriguesGustavo Pereira Cardoso-OliveiraRobert HincapieCarlos Sanhueza-ChavezM G FinnCor Jesus Fernandes FontesAlexandre Ferreira MarquesÉrika Martins BragaPublished in: Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (2019)
Anti-α-Gal responses may exert a protective effect in falciparum malaria. However, the biological role of such antibodies is still unknown during Plasmodium vivax infections. We investigated IgG and IgM responses to α-Gal in individuals with vivax malaria. Anti-α-Gal IgG and IgM levels were higher in these patients than in controls, but no significant correlation was found between parasitaemia and anti-α-Gal response, nor between this response and ABO blood group status. This is the first study to investigate anti-α-Gal antibodies in P. vivax-infected patients; a larger survey is necessary to achieve a better understanding of host immune response during vivax malaria.