Molecular cloning of Plasmodium falciparum blood stage antigens and application of the recombinant proteins in serodiagnosis.

A Plasmodium falciparum genomic DNA library was established in the expression vector lambda gt11, cloned in Escherichia coli. The library was screened with human hyperimmune sera by in situ hybridization. Twenty clones expressing P. falciparum sequences as polypeptides fused to beta-galactosidase were identified. One, CD3A/9025/60, reacted with all immune sera and expressed polypeptides that were larger than beta-galactosidase as well as reacting with antibodies to beta-galactosidase and to P. falciparum. When the fusion proteins were used as target antigens to diagnose malaria antibodies, a result was obtained which correlated well with indirect fluorescence assay.