Anti-malaria antibody-producing B cell frequencies in adults after a Plasmodium falciparum outbreak in Madagascar

Abstract

The central highlands of Madagascar offer a unique opportunity to explore the malaria immune memory, as the last murderous epidemic in the study area occurred 8 years ago. Quantification of the circulating memory B lymphocytes reacting to Plasmodium falciparum was assessed among 14 Madagascans by using a limiting dilution assay, applied to the EL4 culture system, which leads to activation, proliferation and differentiation into antibody-secreting cells (ASC) of most peripheral B cells. This system allowed us to observe, without any malaria-specific restimulation, a geometric mean frequency of one anti-P. falciparum ASC among 2992 circulating B cells, except for one Madagascan who did not have any detectable ASC. A geometric mean frequency of one anti-P. falciparum ASC among 1403 was obtained for six malaria hyperimmune Cameroonians, but conversely, no anti-malaria ASC was detected in the blood of six malaria non-immune French control subjects. Anti-P. falciparum ASC frequencies and serum specific antibodies were strongly related. Our results indicate that anti-malaria ASC are still present in peripheral blood of Madagascan subjects, who have not been exposed to P. falciparum for several years. These responder B cells reflect the malaria B cell memory acquired during the last epidemic.