Implications from predicted B-cell and T-cell epitopes of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite proteins EBA175-RII and Rh5.

The leading circumsporozoite protein (CSP) based malaria vaccine, RTS,S, though promising, has shown limited efficacy in field studies. There is therefore, still a need to identify other malaria vaccine targets. Merozoite antigens are potential vaccine candidates, since naturally acquired antibodies generated against them inhibit erythrocyte invasion and in some cases result in the clinical protection from disease.