REDUCED RISK OF CLINICAL MALARIA IN CHILDREN INFECTED WITH MULTIPLE CLONES OF PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM IN A HIGHLY ENDEMIC AREA - A PROSPECTIVE COMMUNITY STUDY

A prospective community study in a highly malaria endemic area of Papu a New Guinea found that infection with multiple Plasmodium falciparum genotypes was an indicator of lowered risk of subsequent clinical atta ck. The results suggest that concurrent or very recent infections prov ide protection from superinfecting parasites. The finding of an associ ation between reduced risk of clinical malaria and infection with para sites of merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1) type R033 or MSP-2 type 3 D7 further suggests that the concomitant immunity is, at least in part , a consequence of a response to these major merozoite surface protein s.