Abstract
IN many babesia and malaria infections, the host carries a persistent low level parasitaemia after recovery from the acute phase of the disease, and splenectomy of such chronically infected animals usually precipitates a parasitic recrudescence which can be fatal. During chronic infections by Plasmodium knowlesi in rhesus monkeys, the parasite undergoes repeated antigenic variation1, and splenectomy of a chronically infected monkey precipitates an acute parasitaemia, the parasites of which are antigenically different from those with which the monkey was initially infected. Repeated antigenic variation is, however, not yet known to be a characteristic of most malaria or of any babesia infections. We compared the antigenic character of two populations of the piroplasm, Babesia rodhaini, one population being used to initially infect a rat and the second isolated from the same rat when the infection had become subpatent.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Brown, K. N., and Brown, I. N., Nature, 208, 1286 (1965).
Lumsden, W. H. R., and Hardy, G. T. C., Nature, 205, 1032 (1965).
Phillips, R. S., Nature, 227, 1255 (1970).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
PHILLIPS, R. Evidence that Piroplasms can undergo Antigenic Variation. Nature 231, 323 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/231323a0
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/231323a0
This article is cited by
-
Clinical and Serological Response after Experimental Inoculation with Babesia Divergens of Newborn Calves with and without Maternal Antibodies
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica (1987)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.