Hybridoma Produces Protective Antibodies Directed Against the Sporozoite Stage of Malaria Parasite

Hybrid cells secreting antibodies against sporozoites of Plasmodium berghei were obtained by fusion of plasmacytoma cells with immune murine spleen cells. The monoclonal antibodies bound to a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 44,000 (Pb44), which envelopes the surface membrane of sporozoites. Incubation of sporozoites in vitro with antibodies to Pb44 abolished their infectivity.