Correct option is D
Explanation:
Statement A: It contains heat-killed Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites and Hepatitis B surface antigen.
- This is incorrect. RTS,S does not contain heat-killed Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites. It contains a fusion protein of the Plasmodium falciparum CSP and Hepatitis B surface antigen, but not heat-killed sporozoites.
Statement B: It contains formalin-inactivated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites and attenuated poliovirus.
- This is incorrect. RTS,S does not contain formalin-inactivated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites or attenuated poliovirus. It specifically contains the fusion protein mentioned in Statement C.
Statement C: It contains a fusion protein between Plasmodium falciparum CSP C-terminal region and Hepatitis B surface antigen.
- This is correct. RTS,S contains a fusion protein that combines the C-terminal region of Plasmodium falciparum CSP and Hepatitis B surface antigen. This fusion is central to the design of the vaccine.
Statement D: It contains a fusion protein between Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite-surface protein and CSP.
- This is incorrect. RTS,S does not contain a fusion between the merozoite-surface protein and CSP. The vaccine specifically focuses on the fusion between CSP and Hepatitis B surface antigen.
Information Booster:
- RTS,S is an advanced candidate malaria vaccine that targets Plasmodium falciparum by using a fusion protein of the CSP from the malaria parasite and the Hepatitis B surface antigen.
- The vaccine does not contain heat-killed or formalin-inactivated sporozoites nor attentuated poliovirus (as in Statements A and B).
- The C-terminal region of the CSP is the focus of the fusion protein in RTS,S, not the merozoite surface protein.
- RTS,S is the first malaria vaccine to be endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in certain areas.
