Allele-specific antibodies to Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-1: prevalence and inverse relationship to haemoglobin levels during infection

Background Antigenic polymorphisms are considered as one of the main strategies employed by malaria parasites to escape from the host immune responses after infections. Merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) of Plasmodium vivax, a promising vaccine candidate, is a highly polymorphic protein whose immune recognition is not well understood.