Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2015
Abstract
Background: Plasmodium knowlesi was identified as the fifth major malaria parasite in humans. It presents severe clinical symptoms and leads to mortality as a result of hyperparasitemia in a short period of time. This study aimed to improve the current understanding of P. knowlesi and identify potential biomarkers for knowlesi malaria. Methods: In the present study, we have employed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-coupled immunoblotting techniques and mass spectrometry to identify novel circulating markers in sera from P. knowlesi-infected patients. Specifically, we have compared serum protein profiles from P. knowlesi-infected patients against those of healthy or P. vivax-infected individuals. Results: We identified several immunoreactive proteins in malarial-infected subjects, including alpha-2-HS glycoprotein (AHSG), serotransferrin (TF), complement C3c (C3), hemopexin (HPX), zinc-2-alpha glycoprotein (ZAG1), apolipoprotein A1 (Apo-A1), haptoglobin (HAP), and alpha-1-B-glycoprotein (A1BG). However, only TF and HPX displayed enhanced antigenicity and specificity, suggesting that they might represent valid markers for detecting P. knowlesi infection. Additionally, six P. knowlesi-specific antigens were identified (K15, K16, K28, K29, K30, and K38). Moreover, although HAP antigenicity was observed during P. vivax infection, it was undetectable in P. knowlesi-infected subjects. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the application of immunoproteomics approach to identify potential candidate biomarkers for knowlesi malaria infection.
Keywords
Plasmodium knowlesi, Plasmodium vivax, Malaria, Immunoproteomics, Antigenicity
Publication Title
BMC Infectious Diseases
Divisions
Dentistry
Funders
UM-MoHE HIR UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/MED/16/5,E-Science Fund (12-02-03-2093,High Impact Research MoE Grant UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOE/DENT/09
Volume
15
Publisher
BMC