Comparative Study of Brain CD8⁺ T Cells Induced by Sporozoites and Those Induced by Blood-Stage Plasmodium berghei ANKA Involved in the Development of Cerebral Malaria

To obtain insight into the mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of Plasmodium infections, we developed an improved rodent model that mimics human malaria closely by inducing cerebral malaria (CM) through sporozoite infection. We used this model to carry out a detailed study on isolated T cells recruited from the brains of mice during the development of CM. We compared several aspects of the immune response related to the experimental model of Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection induced by sporozoites in C57BL/6 mice and those related to a blood-stage infection. Our data show that in both models, oligoclonal TCRVβ4⁺, TCRVβ6⁺, TCRVβ8.1 ⁺, and TCRVβ11⁺ major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted CD8 T cells were present in the brains of CM⁺ mice. These CD8⁺ T cells display an activated phenotype, do not undergo apoptosis, secrete gamma interferon or tumor necrosis factor alpha, and are associated with the development of the neurological syndrome.