MALARIA DUE TO PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM REMAINS THE MOST IMPORTANT HUMAN INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN THE WORLD.

MALARIA DUE TO PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM REMAINS THE MOST IMPORTANT HUMAN INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN THE WORLD. PAST CONTROL MEASURES HAVE BEEN INADEQUATE TO LIMIT THE INCIDENCEAND CONSEQUENCES OF THE DISEASE. CURRENTLY, A GREAT DEAL OFATTENTION AND FUNDING IS BEING DIRECTED TO THE SEARCH FOR ANANTIMALARIAL VACCINE. THESE PROGRAMS SUPPORT THE SEARCH FORPARASITE ANTIGENS THAT COULD STIMULATE PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY IN HUMANS VIA ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT MECHANISMS. HOWEVER, THE ACQUIRED PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY TO MALARIA FOUND IN HUMANS LIVING IN MALARIOUS AREAS IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. NEVERTHELESS IT IS LIKELY THAT VACCINES BASED ON ANTIBODY ALONE WILL CONTRIBUTE A GREAT DEAL TO THE CONTROL OF MALARIA. NATURALLY ACQUIRED IMMUNITY TO FALCIPARUM MALARIA IN SUDAN INVOLVES A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION FROM CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNE RESPONSES. IN VITRO, SUDANESE IMMUNE SERA CAUSE A PROFOUND RETARDATION IN THE INTRAERYTHROCYTIC DEVELOPMENT OFP. FALCIPARUM RESULTING IN THE APPEARANCE OF MORPHOLOGICALLYTYPICAL "CRISIS FORMS" (CFF). THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH ARE TO PRODUCE CFF FOR USE AS A THERAPEUTIC AGENT IN THE CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF MALARIA OR TO STIMULATE PRODUCTION OF A PROTECTIVE SUBSTANCE IN VIVO AS A POTENTIAL PROPHYLAXIS. BOTH APPROACHES REQUIRE THE PURIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND SPECIFIC QUANTITATION OF CFF FROM HUMANIMMUNE SERUM SOURCES. THE SPECIFIC AIM OF THE PHASE I FEASIBILITY STUDY IS TO DEVELOP IMMUNOASSAY PROCEDURES BASEDON THE PRODUCTION OF ANTI-CFF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES.