In vitro responses of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to Plasmodium falciparum antigen.

Immunity to malaria involves cell-mediated and humoral responses. The cell-mediated reaction is thought to focus particularly on the activity of cells of the macrophage lineage. The ability of antigen-stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes to undergo proliferation and produce factors capable of causing macrophage inhibition of parasite growth has been examined. While lymphocyte proliferation, gamma-interferon production, and anti-malarial antibody levels of malaria-exposed Papua New Guinea donors were correlated, and significantly different from Australian subjects, macrophage parasite inhibition was no different in these two groups. Further, there was no evidence for acquired, persistent, cell-mediated immunity, as judged by the monocyte procoagulant test. The results are discussed within the context of human acquired resistance to malaria.