In parallel, we (Dr. Eunice Nduati, Agnes Gwela, Britta Urban) determine the phenotype and function of B cells in response to infected red blood cells using an in vitro activation assay and flow cytometry in healthy children and adults and in children with acute malaria and after convalescence. The aim of this study is to elucidate the defect that underlies the short-lived nature of antibody responses to many parasite antigens in children living in endemic areas. We have shown that memory B cells to the parasite can be detected in children for at least four months after an acute malaria episode indicating that memory B cells are generated and maintained.
