The role of CD4+ T-cells in the immune response to Plasmodium chabaudi.

The development of protective immunity to Plasmodium requires the presence of T-lymphocytes. This is obvious from many experimental models showing that parasitaernia cannot be controlled in T-cell-deficient animals. In addition, protection against plasmodia can be achieved in adoptive transfer experiments using specific T-cells from immune animals. In this brief article Jean Langhorne discusses the different responses of one particular subset of T-lymphocytes, the CD4(+) T-cells, to the parasite, emphasizing their role in the development of protective immunity to the erythrocytic stages of infection.