Article Review
This paper presents the present research state of modalities that could help achieve a natural form of immunity against malaria. Several previous literatures and research articles were reviewed to provide this journal review article. The article focuses more on the role of chemoprophylaxis and its effects on achieving or enhancing naturally acquired immunity against Plasmodium microorganisms (especially Plasmodium falciparum) which are the culprits of malaria infections.
The article provided a broad overview of the prevalence of malaria globally with certain areas marked as endemic having the highest number of deaths. The paper highlighted some of the challenges that have delayed the development of a vaccine against the Plasmodium species. Although the research for vaccine development is ongoing, the interest in the development of natural acquired immunity is what the paper focuses on. The strong point of this paper is the identification of the role of some drugs inducing some level of immunity when used in conjunction with other drugs and the probability of development of cellular immune response which causes clinical immunity when compared to the actual responses from chemoprophylactic interventions. The factor that could prove this point from the article and research protocols is the expected methodological differences that do occur in researches such as those reviewed in this paper. Those differences include; age group of the populations, drug choices, dosage and the endemicity of the region under study. Although, as stated in the paper, that protection from controlled human malaria infection serve to provide a level of acquired immunity when instituted under some drugs, it can be viewed as a combined effect to achieve the aim of a state of immunity.
As stated by the research, applying this into clinical practice will be different considering various factors which are population, resistance strains and drug use. They made a quality suggestion of exploring the field of combined therapy with induction of immunity to develop a state of immunity in humans.
Bijker, E.M., & Sauerwein, R.W., (2012). Enhancement of naturally acquired immunity against malaria by drug use. Journal of Medical Microbiology. Vol 61. Pt 7. 904-910.
Retrieved 10 July, 2012 from http://jmm.sgmjournals.org/content/61/Pt_7/904.full
