Abstract:
Malaria continues to pose a substantial worldwide health concern, with
emphasis on its prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO recommended
adding iron supplements to children's diets in highly prevalent malaria regions.
However, the effect of iron fortification on the immune response of P.
falciparum remains debated. While some studies suggest that iron supplements
protect against malaria, others indicate that it may worsen infant malaria
infection. This study aimed to investigate the effect of iron fortification on IgG
responses against malaria vaccine candidate antigens among Ghanaian
children. The study employed 400 randomly selected archival samples of
children aged 6 to 36 months collected between April and May 2010 in
Wenchi and Tain Municipalities from a double-blinded cluster-randomized
control trial. Participants with haemoglobin <7g/dL, on food supplements
before the commencement of the study, and exhibited a severe form of
anaemia were excluded. The measurement of immunoglobulin G levels to
GLURP R0, GLURP R2, and MSP-3 recombinant antigens was conducted
using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The results
showed no significant differences in IgG responses between patients with and
without malaria infection in the iron group. However, the results showed
significantly higher levels of IgG responses among malaria-positive
individuals than malaria-negative individuals in the non-iron group. Also, the
study recorded significantly higher IgG responses against GLURP R2 and
MSP-3 antigens in the non-iron group compared to the iron group with
malaria-positive status. Results also showed no significant differences in
parasitaemia's impact on IgG antibodies. The findings of this investigation
indicate that iron fortification substantially downregulates IgG responses
against GLURP R2 and MSP-3 malaria vaccine candidate antigens among
individuals with malaria, thus increasing malaria severity. Further research
with a larger sample size is required to understand the intricate relationships
between iron fortification, malaria, and immune responses.
