Baculovirus produced Plasmodium falciparum vaccine

An anti-plasmodium vaccine comprising an immunogenic amount of an isolated p42 polypeptide comprising at least a portion of the C-terminal processing fragment of major merozoite surface protein gp195 from a Plasmodium falciparum isolate, wherein said isolated p42 polypeptide shares at least 80% sequence identity with a polypeptide according to any one of SEQ ID NOs. 2-5, said p42 polypeptide being expressed by an insect cell which contains a vector that encodes said polypeptide, in combination with an adjuvant selected from the group consisting of QS21 and ISA51 and mixtures thereof,

• wherein said isolated p42 polypeptide is more immunogenic in a mammalian host than is the same polypeptide expressed in yeast, and
• wherein the combination of said adjuvant and said isolated p42 polypeptide is capable of inducing an effective immune response against a Plasmodium infection in said mammal.

A pharmaceutical composition for treating plasmodium parasitemia in a mammal, said composition comprising:

• an isolated p42 polypeptide comprising at least a portion of the 42 kDa C-terminal processing fragment of major merozoite surface protein gp195 from a Plasmodium falciparum isolate, wherein said isolated p42 polypeptide shares at least 80% sequence identity with a polypeptide according to SEQ ID NO:
• 8, in combination with an adjuvant selected from the group consisting of QS-21 and ISA51 and mixtures thereof, and
• wherein the combination of said adjuvant and said isolated p42 polypeptide is capable of inducing effective immune response against a Plasmodium infection in said mammal.