Abstract
The search for novel chemical classes of anti-malarial compounds to cope with the current state of chemoresistance of malaria parasites has led to the identification of Plasmodium falciparum aminopeptidase 1 (PfA-M1) as a new therapeutic target. PfA-M1, known to be involved in the hemoglobin digestion cascade which helps to provide most of the amino acids necessary to the parasite's metabolism, is currently considered as a promising target for anti-malarial chemotherapy. However, its immunogenic properties have not yet been tested in the Gabonese population. In Gabon, the prevalence of malaria remains three times higher in semi-urban areas (60·12%) than in urban areas (17·06%). We show that malaria-specific PfA-M1 antibodies are present in children and increase with the level of infection. Children living in semi-urban areas have higher anti-PfA-M1 antibody titers (0·14 ± 0·02 AU) than those living in urban areas (0·08 ± 0·02 AU, P = 0·03), and their antibody titers increase with age (P < 0·0001). Moreover, anti-PfA-M1 antibody titers decrease in children with hyperparasitemia (0·027 ± 0·055 AU) but they remain high in children with low parasite density (0·21 ± 0·034 AU, P = 0·034). In conclusion, our results suggest that malaria-specific PfA-M1 antibodies may play an important role in the immune response of the host against P. falciparum in Gabonese children. Further studies on the role of PfA-M1 during anemia are needed.