Background: Malaria continues to be a major public health concern despite the concerted efforts to eliminate it. Antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) antigens are involved in prevention of infection and disease with some of the antigens being targeted as lead candidates in vaccine development. However, most of the studies have been done in malaria endemic areas with little information available on exposure and acquisition of protective antibodies in areas of low and unstable malaria transmission. This study sought to determine whether the extent of exposure to P. falciparum affect acquisition of protective antibodies by measuring antibody levels and determine the prevalence of circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and crude schizont extract (SE) in individuals living in an area with low unstable malaria transmission in Western Highlands of Kenya.
Methods: Sixty plasma samples from individuals living in an area of low unstable malaria transmission in Western Highlands of Kenya were randomly selected and categorized into three age groups: <8years (n=25), 8-18years (n=21) and >18years (n=14). Antibodies levels in plasma were measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and compared to known positive and negative control plasma samples. Prevalence and levels of antibodies produced against circumsporozoite protein and schizont extract antigens were compared between age groups.
Results. The prevalence of antibodies ranged from 0% to 14.29% at arbitrary units (AU)>2 for the two antigens. The antibody prevalence did not significantly increase with age (P>0.05) but correlated with CSP and SE antigens (r=0.5977; P<0.05).
Conclusion This study highlights antibody responses to CSP and SE antigens in individuals living in low and unstable malaria transmission. The levels of antibodies were generally low across all age groups and there were no significant differences among age groups. Longitudinal study on more antigens is needed to inform exploration of multi-antigen vaccines and also adopt several control measures including Epidemic Preparedness and Response (EPR).
Key words: Malaria, Circumsporozoite protein, Schizont extract, ELISA, Plasmodium falciparum, IgG antibodies, Kenya