DOI 10.1186/s12936-015-0799-8

Background: The three members of the ring‑infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA) proteins family share high sequence homologies, which impair the detection and assignment to one or another protein of some pathogenic processes inherent to Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The present study was intended to determine if the antibody and inflammatory responses of children living in a malaria‑endemic area varied depending on the RESA‑1, RESA‑2 or RESA‑3 proteins and the severity of the disease, two groups of severe and uncomplicated malaria cases being considered. Methods: Two synthetic peptides representing predicted B cell epitopes were designed per RESA protein, all located outside of the 3 ′ and 5 ′ repetition blocks, in order to allow an antibody detection specific of each member of the fam‑ ily. Recombinant rRESA‑1B and rRESA‑3B proteins were also engineered. Two groups of Beninese children admitted to hospital in 2009 for either uncomplicated or severe malaria were compared for their plasma levels of IgG specifically recognizing each recombinant RESA protein or synthetic peptide, and for their plasma inflammatory cytokine levels (IFN‑γ, TNF‑α and IL‑10), taking into account host and parasite genetic factors. Results: The absence of IgG cross‑reactivity between rRESA proteins and their protein carrier as well as between each RESA peptide and a non‑epitopic RESA control peptide validated the use of the engineered recombinant pro