Interferon-γ, a valuable surrogate marker of Plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic stages protective immunity

Immunity against the pre-erythrocytic stages of malaria is the most promising, as it is strong and fully sterilizing. Yet, the underlying immune effectors against the human Plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic stages remain surprisingly poorly known and have been little explored, which in turn prevents any rational vaccine progress. Evidence that has been gathered in vitro and in vivo, in higher primates and in humans, is reviewed here, emphasizing the significant role of IFN-γ, either as a critical immune mediator or at least as a valuable surrogate marker of protection. One may hope that these results will trigger investigations in volunteers immunized either by optimally irradiated or over-irradiated sporozoites, to quickly delineate better surrogates of protection, which are essential for the development of a successful malaria vaccine

Recurrent American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

International audienc

Vers un modèle mathématique pour la croissance des micro-organismes

Publication de l'IREM de Montpellier - production du groupe Mathématiques et PhilosophieCette séquence pédagogique élaborée par le groupe Enseignement Scientifique de l'IREM de Montpellier à pour but de modéliser une croissance exponentielle avec des outils mathématiques et des outils TICE au programme de la classe de seconde. Elle permet de travailler la compétence « modéliser » et d'initier les élèves à la notion de suite géométrique. Le travail mathématique a lieu dans un cadre numérique et graphique en utilisant le modèle des suites géométriques de manière élémentaire (coefficient multiplicateur d'un terme au terme suivant) sans parler de notion d'indice d'une suite

Interferon-gamma, a valuable surrogate marker of Plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic stages protective immunity

Abstract Immunity against the pre-erythrocytic stages of malaria is the most promising, as it is strong and fully sterilizing. Yet, the underlying immune effectors against the human Plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic stages remain surprisingly poorly known and have been little explored, which in turn prevents any rational vaccine progress. Evidence that has been gathered in vitro and in vivo, in higher primates and in humans, is reviewed here, emphasizing the significant role of IFN-γ, either as a critical immune mediator or at least as a valuable surrogate marker of protection. One may hope that these results will trigger investigations in volunteers immunized either by optimally irradiated or over-irradiated sporozoites, to quickly delineate better surrogates of protection, which are essential for the development of a successful malaria vaccine

Exploration cladistique de l’ALLOc

International audienc

Genetic immunisation by liver stage antigen 3 protects chimpanzees against malaria despite low immune responses.

BACKGROUND: The true interest of genetic immunisation might have been hastily underestimated based on overall immunogenicity data in humans and lack of parallelism with other, more classical immunisation methods. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using malaria Liver Stage Antigen-3 (LSA-3), we report that genetic immunization induces in chimpanzees, the closest relative of humans, immune responses which are as scarce as those reported using other DNA vaccines in humans, but which nonetheless confer strong, sterile and reproducible protection. The pattern was consistent in 3/4 immunized apes against two high dose sporozoite challenges performed as late as 98 and 238 days post-immunization and by a heterologous strain. CONCLUSIONS: These results should, in our opinion, lead to a revisiting of the value of this unusual means of immunisation, using as a model a disease, malaria, in which virulent challenges of volunteers are ethically acceptable