Preliminary assessment of anti-α-Gal IgG and IgM levels in patients with patent Plasmodium vivax infection.

Anti-alpha-Gal responses may exert a protective effect in falciparum malaria. However, the biological role of such antibodies is still unknown during Plasmodium vivax infections. We investigated IgG and IgM responses to alpha-Gal in individuals with vivax malaria. Anti-alpha-Gal IgG and IgM levels were higher in these patients than in controls, but no significant correlation was found between parasitaemia and anti-alpha-Gal response, nor between this response and ABO blood group status. This is the first study to investigate anti-alpha-Gal antibodies in P. vivax-infected patients; a larger survey is necessary to achieve a better understanding of host immune response during vivax malaria.