Abstract
BackgroundMalaria endemicity in the archipelago of Indonesia varies substantially across regions. Following the government’s plan for a malaria elimination programme in Indonesia, baseline malaria surveys were conducted in Mamuju District, West Sulawesi Province, Indonesia to re-assess the malaria situation prior to the establishment of an evidence-based malaria elimination programme in the area. The present study aims to determine the antibody response to three merozoite antigens among the inhabitants of the district.MethodsAntibodies were measured following elution from filter-paper blood spots collected during cross-sectional surveys in the dry and wet season in 2010. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using three merozoite antigens, MSP2, EBA175 and PfRh2a were conducted. A positivity threshold was determined by samples from unexposed individuals and the difference in antibody level against each antigen and correlation of antibody level in different age groups and seasons were statistically analysed.ResultsA total of 497 subjects, 248 in dry and 249 in wet season, aged between 0.6 and 78 years were included. The prevalence of positive antibody responses to MSP2, EBA175 and PfRh2a antigens in dry season were 27.82, 27.42 and 25.81%, respectively. In wet season, the antibody prevalences were 64.26, 64.66 and 61.45%. The antibody levels to the three antigens were all higher in older age groups and also significantly higher in the wet season. The antibody levels also correlated positively with the Plasmodium falciparum infection status of the subjects.ConclusionMSP2, EBA175 and PfRh2a induce antibody responses among the subjects in Mamuju District, and the prevalence is significantly higher in wet season. The level of antibody also correlates significantly with age and malaria positivity. The overall results indicate the antigens might be used as a target for vaccines against P. falciparum infection and as markers for malaria exposure.
Highlights
Malaria endemicity in the archipelago of Indonesia varies substantially across regions
The present study aims to measure antibody responses against merozoite proteins Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2), Erythrocyte binding antigen-175 (EBA-175) and Plasmodium falciparum rhoptry 2a (PfRh2a) in Mamuju District, West Sulawesi, a malaria-endemic region in eastern Indonesia and to evaluate the association between antibody levels, malaria infection, age, and season
The antibody responses to the P. falciparum merozoite proteins MSP2, EBA-175 and PfRh2a were detected in subjects living in the malaria-endemic areas of Mamuju District, West Sulawesi Province, Indonesia and the responses are significantly higher in the wet season
Summary
Malaria endemicity in the archipelago of Indonesia varies substantially across regions. In Indonesia, malaria endemicity varies substantially across different regions, in which Java and Bali islands are very low endemicity, whereas outer islands are meso- to highly endemic. The. Malaria symptoms in humans are exclusively caused by the erythrocytic stage of the parasite and vaccine development is mainly focused to prevent the invasion and development of the parasite in this stage. Various merozoite proteins have been implicated in the erythrocyte invasion, and some of these have been identified as targets for vaccine development and markers for epidemiologic studies [3]. Antibodies to merozoite antigens are considered important targets of protective antibodies and are thought to function in vivo by inhibiting merozoite invasion of erythrocytes, opsonizing merozoites for phagocytosis, and inducing antibody-dependent cellular inhibition
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