Characterisation of T cells and antibody responses to Malaria, cross - sectional survey comparing two areas

Malaria is one of the most common diseases in African children, and a major health problem in The Gambia. Though most cases of malaria are usually mild, severe cases of malaria do also occur, killing approximately one million people each year worldwide. It is thought that clearing the parasite from the body requires a potent effective immune response early during infection. However, an excessive or prolonged immune response can lead to disease. It is therefore important to balance the control of the infection and the control of the immune system. We would like to study cells that regulate immune responses and see whether they are important to control malaria infection. Why some people are able to fight malaria strongly while others get severe malaria is unclear. We know that the ability of the immune system to fight pathogens such as malaria is different in each person. People who have had malaria many times when they are young, or live in an area where many people get malaria rarely get sick. People who live in an area where not many people get malaria are more likely to become more seriously ill. We hope that by comparing people with different levels of exposure to malaria, we can get a better understanding of these immunological differences. We would also like to see if there are differences in the immune system after the rainy season, when there is a lot of malaria around, compared to in the dry season, where there is very little malaria. This may allow us to find new treatments or a vaccine that can prevent severe forms of malaria in the future.