Evaluating seroprevalence to circumsporozoite protein to estimate exposure to three species of Plasmodium in the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: Brazil has seen a great decline in malaria and the country is moving towards elimination. However, for eventual elimination, the control program needs efficient tools in order to monitor malaria exposure and transmission. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether seroprevalence to the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is a good tool for monitoring the exposure to and/or evaluating the burden and distribution of Plasmodium species in the Brazilian Amazon.

Evaluation of naturally acquired IgG antibodies to a chimeric and non-chimeric recombinant species of Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte binding protein-1: lack of association with HLA-DRB1*/DQB1* in malaria exposed individuals from the Brazilian Amazon.

The development of modular constructs that include antigenic regions targeted by protective immune responses is an attractive approach for subunit vaccine development. However, a main concern of using these vaccine platforms is how to preserve the antigenic identity of conformational B cell epitopes. In the present study we evaluated naturally acquired antibody responses to a chimeric protein engineered to contain a previously defined immunodominant domain of the Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte binding protein-1 located between amino acid positions K435-I777.

Analysis of AHG-PRA and ELISA-PRA in kidney transplant patients with acute rejection episodes.

Many centers determined a significant correlation between post-transplant anti-HLA antibodies production and clinical outcome. In order to confirm this correlation and ascertain the sequential appearance of anti-HLA antibodies, we compared the ELISA (ELISA-PRA) and the anti-human globulin enhanced complement-dependent lymphocytotoxicity panel-reactive antibodies test (AHG-PRA) with the occurrence of acute rejection episodes. Thirty patients who underwent kidney transplantation between December 1998 and October 1999 were assayed.