Induction of secondary antibody responses to Plasmodium chabaudi in vitro.

Spleen cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from mice, which had recovered from infection with Plasmodium chabaudi, were induced to produce anti-P. chabaudi antibody by incubating the cells with P. chabaudi parasitized red cells in Marbrook cultures. The anti-malarial antibody was assayed using the indirect fluorescent antibody test. Spleen cells and PBMC from mice infected 2-4 months previously gave higher antibody titres in culture than similar cells from mice infected a year previously. There was a good correlation between the ability of spleen cells or PBMC to be stimulated to produce antibody in vitro and the ability of mice similar to the cell donors to resist a challenge infection. Some immunity can be adoptively transferred with both spleen cells and PBMC.