Persistence of Anti-SE36 Antibodies Induced by the Malaria Vaccine Candidate BK-SE36/CpG in 5–10-Year-Old Burkinabe Children Naturally Exposed to Malaria
Issa Nebie,
Nirianne Marie Q. Palacpac,
Edith Christiane Bougouma,
Amidou Diarra,
Alphonse Ouédraogo,
Flavia D’Alessio,
Sophie Houard,
Alfred B. Tiono,
Simon Cousens,
Toshihiro Horii,
Sodiomon B. Sirima
Affiliations
Issa Nebie
Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS), Ouagadougou 10248, Burkina Faso
Nirianne Marie Q. Palacpac
Department of Malaria Vaccine Development, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
Edith Christiane Bougouma
Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS), Ouagadougou 10248, Burkina Faso
Amidou Diarra
Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS), Ouagadougou 10248, Burkina Faso
Alphonse Ouédraogo
Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS), Ouagadougou 10248, Burkina Faso
Flavia D’Alessio
European Vaccine Initiative, UniversitätsKlinikum Heidelberg, Voßstraße 2, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Sophie Houard
European Vaccine Initiative, UniversitätsKlinikum Heidelberg, Voßstraße 2, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Alfred B. Tiono
Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS), Ouagadougou 10248, Burkina Faso
Simon Cousens
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Toshihiro Horii
Department of Malaria Vaccine Development, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
Sodiomon B. Sirima
Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS), Ouagadougou 10248, Burkina Faso
Information on the dynamics and decline/persistence of antibody titres is important in vaccine development. A recent vaccine trial in malaria-exposed, healthy African adults and children living in a malaria hyperendemic and seasonal area (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) was the first study in which BK-SE36/CpG was administered to different age groups. In 5- to 10-year-old children, the risk of malaria infection was markedly lower in the BK-SE36/CpG arm compared to the control arm. We report here data on antibody titres measured in this age-group after the high malaria transmission season of 2021 (three years after the first vaccine dose was administered). At Year 3, 83% of children had detectable anti-SE36 total IgG antibodies. Geometric mean antibody titres and the proportion of children with detectable anti-SE36 antibodies were markedly higher in the BK-SE36/CpG arm than the control (rabies) arm. The information obtained in this study will guide investigators on future vaccine/booster schedules for this promising blood-stage malaria vaccine candidate.
